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Show J l .L . iiMMMuy, jury TT. m i, uxi iJ DAILY HERALD A? MARIA ELENA SALINAS Opinion The Latin America ofthe '80s are filling up with Moore who makes Oliver Stone look like Alistair Cooke. Moore is, of course, free to , say that the war on terror is a clever cover story for George W. Bush's attempt to line his own pockets. Or to suggest that as nasty as bin Laden is, he is nowhere near as bad as our president. But the reception this preposterous pastiche of lies, warmed-ove- r conspiracy theories and venom has received from the Democratic elite as well as from the public reveals just how badly riven we ' Reagan fered a toast to the people of "Bolivia." Many on the left seem incapable of carrying on a political discussion without descending into character assassination. following the liberation from communism. She helped to transform what had been an underground Solidarity book publishing enterprise into a thriving, free market enterprise. In Iraq she signed on with the Finance Ministry to help pay Iraqi workers who were quite desperate and might turn to violence if not paid. ' Everything was in confusion. They had to start from scratch and create a new currency. Each day (accompanied by the prayers of her worried mother), she donned a flak jacket and a helmet to make the trip across Baghdad. On some occasions she ventured into remote areas to ensure that Iraqi civil servants were paid. Together with other Americans willing to sacrifice for Iraq's future, she slept on a cot in a corridor of one of Saddam's palaces. Later she was moved to a luxurious ... trailer. For six months, Simone worked constantly and slept littleShe did these things for her country and for the cause of freedom. It runs in the family. Her brother is a Marine. Simone is home now. Krugman might want to investigate her replacement, whose motivations were quite similar to hers. He's an analyst from Merrill Lynch who was in the World Trade Center on Sep- New York Times editorial page, Paul Krugman spins a bit of a conspiracy tale of his owa In a column titled "Who Lost Iraq?" Krugman attributes the "failure" of Iraq's reconstruction to "ideological obsession and cronyism." : are Now, let's see, we know What should not go unno- that Saddam modeled Iraq on ticed however is that Michael Stalin's Soviet Union, so what Moore's drivel is endorsed by ideological obsession is Krugleaders of the Democratic Parman referring to? It turns out that Krugman objects to capity indeed, by the ex officio leader of the Democratic Partalism. Yes, Krugman is ap. ty, Terry McAuliffe. He atpalled to learn that Paul Bretended the opening and mer was intent upon "privatizemerged to declare the film ing government run factories." Good heavens, these "very powerful, much more Bush administration people repowerful than I thought it would be." He later told CNN, ally are zealots. Later, Krugman calls them "right-win- g "Clearly the movie makes it clear that George Bush is not economic theorists." Hello? fit to be president of this counWas Krugman asleep when we won the Cold War? Note: try." Other Democrats in attendance were Sens. Tom Free markets work; state-ru- n economies flounder. But this Daschle, EKS.D.; Tom Harkin, news may not yet have filMax Baucus, Ernest Hollings, DS.G; Debbie tered down to The New York Bill Nelson Times. Stabenow, D Fla.; and Reps. Charles As for cronyism, Krugman and Jim tember 11, 2001. smirks, "If the occupiers often Rangel nut. Just another right-winseemed oblivious to reality, one As Byron York points out, all of them, reason was that many jobs at and John Kerry as well should the CPA. went to people I Mona Chare n is a columnist be asked by reporters if they whose qualifications seemed to with Creators Syndicate. She endorse the conclusions of this lie mainly in their personal and can be reached at movie. cre8orsaoLcom. . political connections people like Simone Ledeen, whose faNor is Moore alone in spewdeMichael Ledeen, is a vitriol the national into ther, ing bate. Many on the left seem inprominent neoconservative ... " This is rich. I happen to capable of carrying on a politiknow Simone Ledeen. She is cal discussion without descendan MBA who speaks three laning into character assassination. One of their roadside guages. Iraq was not her first idealistic missioa She had earbombs hit close to home this week. From his perch on the . lier lived and worked in Poland free-floati- -- .; The Reagan era was a time of turmoil and transition in Latin America. It was a decade of right-win- g military juntas, leftist revolutionaries and civil wars that left tens of in 1982, DuringRonald Non sequiturs from the left Theaters Michael tators of the region "a man of personal integrity and com- a state dinner in MONA CHAREN tt, g Realizing he'd gotten the two South American countries mixed up, Reagan said Bolivia was where he was heading next, when he was actually going to Colombia. While his critics accused him of not know ing where he was or where he was going, Reagan knew exactly which direction he wanted Latin America to go: as far away from the threat of communism as possible. It was precisely his staunch stance that guided Reagan's foreign policy in Latin America. He feared that Soviet influence already entrenched in Cuba would expand in the region, and he was willing to use any means to stop it. In 1983, he sent U.S. troops to Grenada to topple a leftist friendly to Communist gov-emine- nt Cuba. Beloved in Miami, Reagan won the hearts and financial of hard-lin- e Cuban support exiles by using harsh rhetoric against Fidel Castro. So it came as no surprise when, upon ReaHavana gan's death, state-ru- n radio proclaimed that the for-mpresident "should never have been born." Nowhere was his aim to halt Marxist expansion more firm than in Nicaragua, where he offered unwavering support to the Contra rebels; So strong was his determination to rid Nicaragua of its leftist Sandin-ist- a leaders that when Congress outlawed funding for the Con-tra- s, Reagan's administration secretly sold weapons to Iran to fund the insurgency. The a scandal cast a cloud over the final years of his presidency. Nicaragua, now under Democratic rule, is divided on its opinion of Reagaa To some, he is a liberator; to oth- er Iran-Contr- ers, a villain. In Argentina, a dirty war in which up to 30,000 suspected leftists either were killed or disappeared was well into its fifth year when Reagan came into office. One of his first moves was to reverse former President Jimmy Carter's condemnation of the military regime's record on human rights and authorize CIA collaboration with the Argentine intelligence service. Argentines also remember how Reagan's support helped Great Britain win its war for the Falkland Islands in 1982. Gen. Augusto Pinochet was in power in Chile when Reagan became president. Reagan abstained from criticizing Chile's human-right- s abuses during his first term so as not to alienate the right-win- g government, but by the mid-'80- s, Reagan began to pressure the Chilean dictator into taking steps toward democracy, expressing an opposition to all types of dictatorships. Guatemala was embroiled in a bloody civil war during the Reagan years. In the early '80s, Reagan not only lifted an embargo imposed by the Carter administration against Guatemala's military government, he also astonished human-right- s activists by proclaiming Gea Efrain Rios Montt considered one of the bloodiest dic GREAT TAX DEDUCTION RUNNING OR NOT WE DO ALL PAPERWORK To hni Saiikrskips an thousands dead. FAST FREE TOWING for U':b mitment." In a covert operation in El Salvador, the Reagan administration sent dozens of Green Beret trainers to teach the army better techniques for fighting against the Marxist guerrillas. Both sides in the conflict created havoc, but it was the Salvadoran army which received a million dollars a day from the United States that was accused of most of the atrocities, such as the massacre in the town of El Mozote, where nearly 1,000 men, women and children were murdered in 1981. The Reagan era was a time of turmoil and transition in Latin America. It was a decade of right-winmilitary juntas, leftist revolutionaries and civil wars that left tens of thousands dead. While some applaud Rea-- , gan for his stance, others say his unconditional support of military dicta--! d secret ; torships and wars came at too high a cost. Historians will debate those points. For now, Latin America is not the same one of the turbulent '80s. Although Cuba remains a " bastion of communism and at ' least four countries have ' presidents, for the most depart the region is stable and -' mocratic. For better or for ; worse, Ronald Reagan's legacy lives on in Latin America. g CIA-backe- left-leani- I Maria Elena Salinas is anchor of "Noticiero Univision." She can be reached at msalinasunivision.net. Letters to the Editor online www.harktheherald.com fUDanBoimro (caty Kids ' .v. it . ? f'is 1 7 il fulsc :mm 1 If 4 4V a van a en yuiJDEiiiLij f 1 , !' 1 I 1 1 i if . " I a t 1 " . 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