Rachael L. Lehmberg

Nicaragua 1984: Reagan's Forgotten War Rachael L. Lehmberg

What is the responsibility of ordinary citizens of a democracy to investigate the actions of the government which represents them? The futurist, George Orwell, pointed to 1984 as a turning point in the struggle of the human race for freedom and dignity. Although he was a bit off base on his timing in the novel, "Nineteen Eighty Four," the politics of information manipulation is always with us. Rachael Lehmberg experienced a bit of Orwell's vision as she joined a group of "fact-finders" and religious workers during the height of the Contra War. The group visited several leaders of Nicaragua's Sandinista government as well as representatives of their social movements and religious and educational institutions. From these leaders and from ordinary Nicaraguans, they got a view of a Nicaragua quite different than that which we received through our media. Her daily journal and interview notes about her experiences form the core of her memoir,"Nicaragua 1984: Reagan's Forgotton War." Her motivation for telling this story was rekindled as she noted the same names of advisors from the Contra conflict showing up in today's Iraq and Afghanistan wars. You will find Ms. Lehmberg's experiences in the midst of a county struggling to find its way to freedom, enlightening, emotional and sometimes frightening.