My 4th of July

I spent the day on a Nicaraguan beach, reading Joan Didion´s Play It As Is Lays. Definitely more interesting than fireworks, although thanks to a wedding celebration that night, I actually did see some fireworks.

But I also thought about what the great ol´USA has done to Nicaragua over the years. What is the greatest moment? Recognizing the ¨government¨of William Walker when he took the country over briefly in 1856 and reinstituted slavery (another black mark against the Pierce Administration)? The government allowing banana companies to dominate the nation for decades, including a 2 decade Marine invasion to protect banana interests and fight the rag tag forces led by Augusto Sandino? Supporting the Somoza government for 4 decades? Creating the Contras in the 1980s to undermine the Sandinista revolution in the 1980s? W openly threatening Nicaragua when Daniel Ortega was running for president in the 2000s?

Land of the free and home of the brave indeed.