No Tenemos Agua En Managua, Nicaragua
Reason to Suspect Conspiracy?
Managua, Nicaragua

A friend of the people we're staying with in Managua just got back from the World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela. She's full of information about the destructive effects free trade agreements (like CAFTA) and international development programs of the IMF, World Bank, and other institutions of of the Neo-Liberal establishment. Like in El Salvador, for example, villagers are taxed by number of children for collecting rain water. Government officials come by, count heads, and charge accordingly.

The rumor in Managua is that someone is sabotaging the water system so there's an excuse for it to be privatized. This is our third day without water.

Though we're not too often driven to "conspiracy theory," it wouldn't surprise us if someone were tampering with the water, especially given what the CIA did in the 1980s. Instead of Contras and Iran Contra, we have Bechtel and empire.

It's terrible to see developing societies charged outrageous prices for basic services (medical care, water, electricity, etc.) just so the ruling few can have bigger houses.

Check out the CIA Sabotage Manual for a view of what the US government promotes abroad. Here's another version.