Comments on: Famed poet, priest, politician calls Nicaraguan Canal a “monstrosity”

By: Randy Roden

Randy Roden — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 15:08:00 +0000

Ortega is nothing more than a COMMUNIST DICTATOR who , like the rest of the communist, look out for ONLY THEMSELVES. Next, he will be kissing the asses of PUTIN , and every COMMUNIST DICTATOR on earth. He will have to give ALL the country to the COMMUNIST. Think Communism is good for any country, and its people? Look what happened to RUSSIA! Look what happened to CHINA, until the people were given the right to start their own business. Capitolism turned China into a country that looks out for themselves instead of the CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT, and CENTRAL COMMITTEE!! Use Your heads for something besides a HATRACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Ken Morris

Ken Morris — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 02:15:00 +0000

1. Citizens are going to be displaced no matter what the project, and the bigger the project the more that will be displaced. I find it odd that people now want to preserve rural poverty.

2. My guess is that “ecosystems” will be destroyed, since I can’t imagine that digging a canal won’t, but filling in a pothole also destroys an “ecosystem.” More importantly, aren’t people part of an ecosystem? We can end up reasoning like Costa Rica is in the World Court that preserving a mosquito-infested swamp and haven for drug traffickers is more important than lifting the 20% of Nicaragua’s population that doesn’t have enough food to meet the minimum calorie intake, but that’s not an argument I agree with.

3. “Destructive project”? Aren’t you assuming facts not in evidence?

4. Well, our Chinese billionaire isn’t unknown–we know exactly who he is–and I seriously doubt that he’s unaccountable. Does anyone really believe that Ortega is so old and senile that he’s not in charge? I’m pretty sure that the Chinese billionaire is very much accountable, just not to us.

5. Actually, there was and is a “public process,” just that the “public” in question is composed of sell-outs in the legislature. Granted, this ain’t good, but what’s the alternative? Are we suppose to sit around and wait for a non-crooked legislature? I’m fairly certain that we’ll all be dead before that materializes. In the meantime, why not build a canal, the economic benefits of which might actually push Nicaragua toward cleaner government?

6. What is and isn’t a betrayal of the revolution is very much in the eyes of the beholder. Some 80%–maybe more–of Nicas supported the revolution, and who knows what plethera of affirmative things they all believed it was about. They were united, as happens in most cases, by what they were against. I doubt that they were anywhere near as united in what they were for.

7. Ortega’s understanding of democracy has always been, well, elitist, and it is a mistake to assume that he fought for “grassroots democracy” in the sense of his believing that any campesino’s kneejerk opinion ought to be heeded. He rather believes in a deeper democracy in which the people may actually be wrong at any given moment, but in which with guidance they will ultimately realize their mistakes. And frankly, so far so good for his approach. He keeps building support. My guess is that this how the canal will turn out. The naysayers have the upper hand now, but give it a few years and watch “grassroots democracy” swing in favor.

By: CascadeCin

CascadeCin — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 05:34:00 +0000

Unfortunately engineers and economists are rarely looking at the big picture either – kickstarting economic development at the expense of displacing thousands of citizens and destroying ecosystems is hardly good for the country. Handing off control of such a huge destructive project to an unknown and unaccountable chinese billionaire without any public process is a betrayal of the revolution and grassroots democracy Ortega fought for decades ago.

By: Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 13:22:00 +0000

Screw Costa Rica go Nicaragua built the canal leave CR in the dust, all the bad Karma is catching up to the country.

By: Ken Morris

Ken Morris — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 22:01:00 +0000

Cardenal is a fellow you can usually respect, and he’s entitled to his opinion, but he’s neither an economist nor an engineer. In fact, if you notice, next to none of the critics of the canal are. These critics make a number of good points, but invariably seem to miss the big picture. In a country as poor as Nicaragua, doesn’t something need to be done to kickstart economic development? I think it does and that the canal is the best idea on the table. Until the critics put a better plan for economic development–or hell, any plan–on the table, I give the canal a thumbs up.

By: HONEST MAN

HONEST MAN — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 14:11:00 +0000

Who cares about this story in Costa Rica. Nicaragua needs all the investment it can get. Build the Canal and maybe things can get a little better.

By: gunns

gunns — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:23:00 +0000

So who can out corrupt who? the chinos or the nicas. Time will tell.

By: disgusted

disgusted — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:15:00 +0000

Dictator Ortega and China does not care about the impact this will have on the common people. It is all greed driven. Look what China has done to it’s own land and country to see what will happen here and around the world. China they cannot drink the water or breathe the air in most big cities now.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 13:26:00 +0000

What a mess!
At this rate China will own all of Central America pretty soon.