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Lilian Bobea
Reformers sought to fashion an experiment which would overcome the traditional concentration of power and decision making in the hands of the federal government. This was -and remains- a daunting task.
Phillip Berryman
In 1994, the Peruvian theolo- gian Gustavo Guti6rrez, whose writings have made lib- eration theology known world- wide, observed that the period which had given birth to that the- ology was apparently "coming to an end." This was due to a "series of economic, political and eccle- sial events, as much worldwide as Latin American or national.
Howard Jordan
After years of struggle, the Dominican community is becoming a pivotal player in New York City politics. I'd like to help, but we already have too many immigrants," a liberal Queens Assemblyman told me back in 1987 when, as director of the New York State Assembly Task Force on Immigration, I was lobbying for legislation that would ease the plight of noncitizen New Yorkers.
Amy Lind
Like many gay-pride marches throughout the world, last year's Gay/Lesbian/Trans- vestite/Transsexual Pride March in Buenos Aires was held on June 28 to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. Some 1,500 people, representing over 22 organi- zations from diverse regions of the country, were present-almost dou- ble the number of participants in the previous year's march.
Puerto Rican Prisoners A lthough we were pleased with your interest in the campaign to free Puerto Rican prisoners of war and political prisoners ["It's Time to Let Them Go," Nov/Dec, 1996], we are concerned about some of the article's factual inaccu- racies and omissions. For example, Boricua First, which was founded in 1994, did not initiate the campaign.
Roberto Cassá
It is a constant refrain among observers of the Dominican Republic that the country is evolving toward "the consolidation of democracy." Despite the distance between the refrain and reality, it remains the touchstone of the standard evaluations of the presi- dential elections that took place in May and June of 1996.
Abduction of Human Rights Worker Spotlights Labor Violence in Bolivia LA PAZ, FEBRUARY 4, 1997 A simmering labor dispute became a political scandal on January 25, when Bolivian newspapers reported that Waldo Albarracin, president of the non- governmental Permanent Human Rights Assembly of Bolivia, had been kidnapped and severely beaten by police officers posing as guerrillas of the Peru-based Tdipac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Just days before, Albarracin had publicly accused the government of brib- ing the families of slain striking miners with $10,000 in "hush money.
The Dominican Republic Today: Realities and Perspectives edited by Emilio Betances and Hobart A. Spalding, Jr.
PL
NACLA Turns 30 In a series of meetings held in the fall of 1966, representatives of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Student Non- violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the University Christian Movement joined with a group of returned Peace Corps vol- unteers to found the North Ameri- can Congress on Latin America. A few months later, in February, 1967, the first issue of the NACLA News- letter-later to become NACLA's Latin America and Empire Report and then NACLA Report on the Americas-appeared.
Emelio Betances & Hobart Spalding
The Dominican Republic played a major role in the early history of NACLA, and it is therefore fitting that the country be re-examined in one of NACLA's thirtieth anniversary issues. It was largely in response to the 1965 U.
James Ferguson
In the end it was their common enemy and perennial nemesis, Jos Francisco Pefia G6mez, who brought Joaquin Balaguer and Juan Bosch together in a final, ironic act of reconciliation. The meeting of the two veteran caudilos in June, 1996 to launch the so-called National Patriotic Front and ensure the victory of Leonel Fernandez symbolized the end of 30 years of political rivalry.
Helen Safa
In the new world economic order, small countries must compete against each other by offering lower wages to attract transnational investment. In this "race to the bottom," women workers pay dearest.