When Americans think of patriots, they link the title, many times, to heroes of the Revolutionary War. Names like Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and Hancock come to mind. We use the word patriot to describe men who are willing to risk their own personal freedom for the freedom of others. I am posting this article because Americans take their freedoms for granted at times and need to know about human rights violations occurring in many places in our world. The U.S. has made 250 years. Others are not so fortunate. Many other countries are in constant turmoil. Nicaragua has been one of those countries for some time now.
Rep. Shelby, Rommel Moreno, Ariel Teran, Dir. Peggy Maruthur, Bob Driggers, German Zeledon, Augusto Ayala, Francisco Valdivia
Back in September of 2009 the citizens of Hot Springs, Arkansas were privileged to visit with six such patriots. The six men were from Nicaragua. Less than one year earlier, on November 9th, 2008, elections were held throughout Nicaragua. On that day, five of our visitors were elected mayors of five of the largest cities in the Central American nation.
Within two weeks of the election, each had been told that the vote count was incorrect and that another candidate was the real winner. All of the new “winners” were candidates supported by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Similar election result “corrections” occurred in 43 municipalities in Nicaragua.
The six individuals visiting Hot Springs were here to tell their stories and to learn how to handle the situation in which they found themselves. They were here on a State Department funded tour of several cities in the United States. The group met with 11 different organizations including one in Washington D.C. attempting to gain information to help their nation solve its problems. What better place to come than a nation that has overcome such obstacles in its past?
Mr. Bob Driggers, of the Garland County Good Government Group (located in Hot Springs, Arkansas), welcomed our visitors and noted several local representatives in attendance. The names of the six Nicaraguan patriots that were present at the meeting held at the Transportation Depot are (see picture above):
Mr. Augusto Ayala elected Mayor of Juigalpa
Mr. German Zeledon elected Mayor of Jinotega
Dr. Rommel Moreno elected Mayor of Corinto
Mr. Francisco Valdivia elected Mayor of Masaya
Mr. Ariel Teran elected Mayor of Leon
Mr. Anibal Rosales of Granada, a political marketing specialist who helped Mr. Teran win his election.
After introductions, Mr. Driggers allowed Mayor Mike Bush to address our visitors. Mayor Bush welcomed our guests and informed them that Hot Springs has not suffered the financial strain that much of the nation is feeling. He added that the effects of the national economy are beginning to take a toll on the area. After his remarks, Mayor Bush had to leave.
Mayor Mike Bush officially welcomes Augusto Ayala, German Zeledon, Rommel Moreno, Francisco Valdivia, Anibal Rosales, Ariel Teran, and U.S. State Department representative Ed Velam
Mr. Driggers then welcomed Dr. Gene Shelby, a Hot Springs resident and District 25 Representative to the Arkansas House of Representatives. Mr. Shelby also welcomed our guests and applauded them for the efforts they were making to help the people of Nicaragua. He mentioned the low voter turnout at recent school board elections, referring to the fact that many Americans take their freedoms for granted. He also thanked the Garland Good Government Group for its efforts to make Hot Springs a better place to live.
Representative Gene Shelby
Ms. Peggy Maruthur was the next local representative to address our new friends. Ms. Maruthur thanked Peggy and Duane Vandenberg for hosting the group. She then explained her responsibilities as a Hot Springs City Director and noted that she had been elected by the people to represent them as a whole and not only those who had more influence than others.
Director Peggy Maruthur
Before Mr. Driggers presented a short Power Point on the recent efforts of the Garland Good Government Group, he recognized the presence of Director Elaine Jones (BOD Dist. 2) Quorum Court member Bud West (J.P. Dist. 9), and Garland County Treasurer Jo West Taylor.
Following the Good Government presentation, Mr. Ariel Teran began an explanation of recent events in Nicaragua. Mr. Teran, a graduate of an American University, and spokesman for the group, presented a short video entitled, “A Democracy Becoming a Dictatorship.” The video showed attempts at peaceful demonstrations and disruptions by youths being paid $10 a day by President Ortega. One scene showed a journalist being stabbed by a man with a machete. The video also showed a statement made by the Nicaraguan Attorney General and pictures of vandalized radio stations. Included were clips taken just two weeks before this visit of protesting students being accosted by paramilitary forces.
The Good Government Power Point had been presented with Spanish Text. The video shown by Mr. Teran had English text. One of the lines read, “To be silent and not act now…would be a great irresponsibility.”
Mr. Teran described how he had been personally affected by the recent events. “This is not a left or right issue. It’s a matter of Nationality,” Mr. Teran explained. He also explained that 2010 elections would be held by the congressmen of Nicaragua to choose the Electoral College. Mr. Teran expressed the fears of many that President Ortega might attempt to bribe the congressmen into his camp. Later in the meeting it was mentioned that money was being sent to Ortega by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
Mr. Teran explained that the problems began in 2006 when the opposition split into two groups. This allowed Ortega to win the Presidential seat with 38% of the vote. Ortega had been defeated by Violeta Barrios de Chamorro in the 1990 presidential election, but he remained an important figure in Nicaraguan opposition politics. Ortega was an unsuccessful candidate for president in 1996 and 2001 before winning the 2006 presidential election.
Mr. Teran said, “Ortega has 34% of the people, but he doesn’t have the congressmen. With the help of God we can make a difference.”
Once the question and answer period began, the first question came from Mr. Driggers who asked about current American assistance to the opposition (of Ortega). Mr. Teran stated that the U.S. government is currently not pushing to help the opposition. “We are not seeking financial assistance,” he said. “We just want the U.S. to sit down with us and listen to what has to be done.”
The other patriots got up and spoke. An interpreter translated for the audience. “Everything is contaminated,” stated Mr. Ayala. “We want to go back to our country and be watchdogs like you,” he said.
Mr. Rosales showed proof of the corruption. Dr. Moreno shared his experience of being elected as mayor and then having his position taken from him. They expressed how they had worked hard and won elections against Ortega’s representatives who were well funded. Mr. Zeledon and Mr. Valdivia also described their experiences and thanked the residents of Hot Springs, as the others had done for the warm welcome they had received.
Tom Brown, Good Government Group member and descendent of U.S. President John Adams with Ariel Teran and Anibal Rosales
Mr. Teran showed pictures of ballots that had been found at the dump in Leon, where he had been declared the mayor. The ballots were clearly marked as votes for Mr. Teran. “We took the ballots to the police and we made the national news,” Mr. Teran said. The case was never pursued.
Mr. Driggers made a few concluding remarks and thanked Ms. Barbara Anable for set up and refreshments. At this point, the entire Nicaraguan delegation gave Ms. Anable a standing ovation.
There was a good deal of discussion after the meeting was adjourned. In an interview with Mr. Teran, he stated that his father had been the founder of the baseball team in Leon. Leon has been a city that has had a lot of media attention during the recent political upheaval.
Earlier in this same month, I was fortunate enough to attend and report on an event that included the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, one of our U.S. Senators, one of our Reps. to the U.S. House of Representatives, and two other high ranking officials. I thought this would be the biggest thing I would be attending this year. With all due respect to the public servants I listened to that day, I have to say that this event with the Nicaraguan Patriots inspired me more than any event that I have yet covered.
An audience member enlightened me about the risk that these men were taking by coming to our country. We were all well aware of the risks they had already taken in their own country. Apparent was the courtesy, kindness, integrity, and humility of our visitors from Nicaragua. They were taking a stand for the principles of freedom, just like the difficult stand that our Revolutionary War patriots took. It was a moving experience.
Chris Reimers
***
I believe I was the only journalist present for the event with the Nicaraguans. At the time I was writing a news blog with the same name as this blog and this article appeared there and can still be seen here on the ggggnews page. Scroll down if you wish to see the original article. I’ve made a few changes above for easier reading.
The Nicaraguan patriots went back to their county with the hopes of attempting to help create a more transparent and honest government. I kept track as well as I could but contact information they had left became no longer available. Of course, I had heard that Ortega and his followers were creating a mess.
Then, on August 15, 2018, This message appeared on my “about” page and is still there near the bottom:
“Hi Chris, do you remember me? I am Aníbal Rosales, from your article ‘Nicaraguan Patriots Visit Hot Springs’ in October 2009. It is very sad what Nicaragua is living now, what in 2009 seemed like a distant future has arrived. Ortega took all the powers of the state, the presidency, the supreme court of justice, the electoral power and the assembly, he completed his project of dictatorship. Now he is killing his own people, for having raised us to protest against him, since last April 18, more than 350 people have died, there are more than 500 unjustly arrested, many disappeared and many people fleeing in Costa Rica and others living hidden in safe houses, so that the government does not kill them. We have a real humanitarian crisis, there are thousands of people who need shelter, food and medicine. If you can, tell this story to our friends in Hot Springs.”
I responded to Mr. Rosales as best as I could and was surprised that he remembered me and that he had found my blog which now had a new format and a different web address. I was no longer writing as a journalist.
Since then I have checked on Nicaragua from time from time. Essentially, Ortega now has a stranglehold on his position. “In the 2021 Nicaraguan presidential election, President Daniel Ortega effectively became the only viable candidate on the ballot after his government systematically suppressed political pluralism. He eliminated his opposition by jailing seven major presidential challengers and disqualifying all other serious competition, cementing his hold on power in an election that was widely condemned by the international community.”
We Americans should be thankful for our continued freedoms when we read about a country like Nicaragua. Yes, it is in the Western Hemisphere and somehow seems to avoid the attention it should get for its human rights violations. Still, much has been written and discussed about this problem, even though it almost never hits the mainstream news.
Here are other resources if you are interested in knowing more:
I pray for the people of Nicaragua and the patriots I met from there back in 2009. Life has gotten much harder for most of the citizens there since that time. May God be with them.
Someone recently read a post here from over ten years ago with the title: “Hope for American Christians.”
While looking at it to remember it, a question came to mind: “What better subject can one bring up on the 250th anniversary of of our nation’s founding?” I am reprinting it today with a few changes because I think America needs hope on this day. -CR
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“When Your Concern For Your Nation Intensifies” was the title of a sermon I heard today. The sermon was presented by Pastor Mark Cain of Village Bible Church.
So what do we do about all of the things in our society that sadden us? Pastor Mark mentioned many of the issues that can make one wonder just where we are headed: lack of morality, dishonesty, ungodly living arrangements, violence, abortion, greed, etc.
The answer Pastor Cain gave was not surprising. It came from the Bible. Isn’t that where we are supposed to look for our answers? He found a great answer.
“When your concern for America intensifies, calm that concern through the theology of Psalm 46.”
Here is your answer:
Psalm 46
God the Refuge of His People.
46 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Pastor Mark calls the Psalms “God’s Pharmacy.” This Psalm shows why.
The Psalm is a song or poetry set in three stanzas. Each stanza ends with the word “Selah.” As the good pastor stated, no one knows for certain what the word means. Many feel that “Selah” is word that means pause. Pausing is always good for reflection.
Dr. Cain broke the Psalm into two sections.
1. (vv. 1-3) GOD IS (a way of saying “theology”) so personally present there is no reason to fear the cataclysmic chaos.
2. (vv. 4-11) God is so powerfully present He can overrule any national threat.
The conclusion:
“Peace and security are not the absence of threatening circumstances, but the close presence of our powerful, personally involved God.”
Our nation’s celebration of Independence is here. God has richly blessed our nation in the past. Psalm 46 is a great scripture upon which to dwell in the present.
A few months back I was poking around the family bookshelves for something I hadn’t read before and saw this. Inside the cover “$1.00 Hist” was written in pencil. I asked my wife about it and she had gotten it on sale at our library. I’m sure she had shown it to me back then but it got shelved because I was probably reading something else.
Since we are now at 250 years and counting, I gave this book a chance and I’m glad I did. I remember David McCullough well for interviews and speeches of his. It is obvious that a great amount of research went into this book. If anyone is interested in the year leading up to and including 1776, I would recommend this book. I liked it enough to read it in a few sittings.
Chris Reimers
Here is a speech Mr. McCullough did back in 2005 at the National Archives after 5 weeks on a book tour about the book “1776”:
I continue to work my way through Jonathan Sarfati’s book on creation (see picture below). I am on page 234 and read the following quotes there. I still have over 400 pages to go but I’m in no hurry. Almost everyone is aware, due to widely publicized modern media, how mind-bogglingly complex even the simplest of cells are. These quotes go beyond that, and Mr. Sarfati entitles this short section in his book:
“ATHIEST CONUNDRUM.” -cr
“The origin of the cell’s information, and its decoding machinery, is thus a huge problem for atheists. Astrophysicist and evolutionist Paul Davies (b. 1946) says:
‘We now know that the secret of life lies not with the chemical ingredients as such, but with the logical structure and organisational arrangement of the molecules. … Like a supercomputer, life is an information processing system. … It is the software of the living cell that is the real mystery, not the hardware.’
But he does nothing to solve this mystery. Instead he asks, ‘How did stupid atoms spontaneously write their own software?’ , and answers, ‘Nobody knows…’ and admits: ‘There is no known law of physics able to create information from nothing.’
However, this makes good sense if the information came from a Master Programmer, as revealed in the Bible.”
So far the “Tomato Teepee” structure has done it’s job this year. I am thankful for this year’s harvest already and we are just getting started. If you click on any of the pictures, you can get a closer view and perhaps see more tomatoes and less foliage. I try not to let the indeterminate plants grow too tall so that the plant can focus on sending nutrients to the tomatoes. Every year is a learning year and this year is no different. One thing I will do differently next year is to not use up a number of pots for something I haven’t grown before. I think I used 5 or 6 fabric “grow pots” on a new variety (for me) that is supposed to be a beefsteak tomato. I thought they would be larger but you can see them on the left of the picture. They have good bunches but they aren’t the size I was looking for. After I harvest most of the ones in those 5 or 6 pots, I already have some “Garden Peach” tomato seedlings that I will plant in the same pots. Garden Peach tomatoes are long keepers that will last deep into the winter.
There are all kinds of things you can use to support tomatoes. Here I have used an old box spring frame.
To support tomatoes I have used simple wire fencing here.
These are “Cosmonaut Volkov” tomatoes that I will be taking to my neighbor, Tom, later today. This year, I have also used seed that I saved from some “Better Boy” tomatoes from 2021. They have done very well. Also, a nice surprise is how large the Roma tomatoes have grown this year. A Roma is a paste tomato that we eat mostly in pasta salads. The sweetest cherry tomato I have ever tasted is a Sun Gold Cherry tomato and they are prolific as usual.
That’s the update for now on the 2026 planting season. There are other things going on. I’ve let the snow peas go to seed. The pepper plants are looking good and the Jerusalem Artichokes haven’t shown their flowers yet but they are loving the rain we’ve had. I’ve enjoyed watching the design of God in all that grows.
12 “The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.” -Genesis 1
7 “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” -1 Corinthians 3
The words above were written to a young church in the city of Corinth. Paul, an instrument of the Holy Spirit, had also written:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18)
Corinth was already an ancient city when these words were written. It was an important commercial center with two harbors and had long been a rival to Athens which is about 50 miles to the East. Corinth had a reputation for sexual immorality. It was permitted under the widely popular worship of Aphrodite (also known as Venus, the goddess of fertility and sexuality).
The message in 1 Corinthians is clear. Even if the death and resurrection of Jesus is unimportant to the world, it is at the center of the Christian message. The words in this letter were particularly powerful for a new group of believers struggling to let go of worldly things and learning to follow Jesus.
So, how is it dear friend that you are able to let go of worldly things?
If you are trying to do it in your own strength, may I suggest that you are going about it the wrong way?
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
We must remain in Him. Read God’s Word for the strength to help you through what you are facing. Continue in His Word.
The Bible says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is verse that Christians lean upon heavily.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand what God would have you learn as you read the scriptures.
“Meditate much on Evangelical Truths, and the Gospel-Doctrine that is deli∣vered in Scripture. For as it is the Law of God, as revealed in the Scripture, that makes a mans sin to appear out of measure sinful, by that pure glass he seeth him∣self more monstrous and deformed a thousand times, then ever he apprehended himself: so by diligent inspection into, and consideration of the glorious things of the Gospel, we see a more easie and more probable way for assurance of Gods love, then otherwise we would: It’s not therefore the duty of Gods people to be only poring upon their sins to be alwayes applying the Law to themselves, but they are also to behold the glorious riches of Gods grace in the Gospel.” (Taken from sermon #145 mentioned below)
Anthony Burgess Expository Sermons on John 17 (“145 expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, or, Christ’s prayer before his passion explicated…”)
I have read the first five in the series. They are not long and I look forward to reading more of these before listening to a modern preacher. I did find a mistake in the first sermon. 1 Timothy 4:5 is quoted and it is noted as 1 Timothy 3:5. Anyone reading these will not be able to miss the spelling differences in that day.
note: there was a well-known unbeliever by the same name in the 20th century
Photo attribution: The REASONED CASES FOR CHRIST blog
A current goal of this blog is to post things that I think can assist Christian believers in their walk with God. Whenever I stumble upon something that fits that description for me I think others might be helped by it as well. Here is another jewel that I very recently discovered. It is written by Bruce Cooper who is the author of the blog “REASONED CASES FOR CHRIST.” For some reason I was unable to re-blog the post where Bruce linked to this work. If you wish to see the post, you can click on
In the post, Bruce links to a PDF (all of his PDFs are free) with the above title. If you wish to go straight to this piece, you can click on this link:
It is well there is One who is ever the same, and who is ever with us. It is well there is one stable rock amidst the billows of the sea of life. O my soul, set not thine affections upon rusting, moth-eaten, decaying treasures, but set thine heart upon him who abides forever faithful to thee. Build not thine house upon the moving quicksands of a deceitful world, but found thy hopes upon this rock, which, amid descending rain and roaring floods, shall stand immovably secure. My soul, I charge thee, lay up thy treasure in the only secure cabinet; store thy jewels where thou canst never lose them. Put thine all in Christ; set all thine affections on his person, all thy hope in his merit, all thy trust in his efficacious blood, all thy joy in his presence, and so thou mayest laugh at loss, and defy destruction. Remember that all the flowers in the world’s garden fade by turns, and the day cometh when nothing will be left but the black, cold earth. Death’s black extinguisher must soon put out thy candle. Oh! how sweet to have sunlight when the candle is gone! The dark flood must soon roll between thee and all thou hast; then wed thine heart to him who will never leave thee; trust thyself with him who will go with thee through the black and surging current of death’s stream, and who will land thee safely on the celestial shore, and make thee sit with him in heavenly places forever. Go, sorrowing son of affliction, tell thy secrets to the Friend who sticketh closer than a brother. Trust all thy concerns with him who never can be taken from thee, who will never leave thee, and who will never let thee leave him, even “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” “Lo, I am with you alway,” is enough for my soul to live upon, let who will forsake me.
Born Again
Beth is a born again Christian who lives in Canada. She believes that Jesus is the the way, the truth, and the life and she also believes that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. She blogs on a variety of topics.
Elizabeth Burke's Blog
Elizabeth is a writer of Evangelical Christian books based in Ireland. Her books are currently published under “Ready Writer Publications.” Her blog is a testimony to her Christian faith and always an enjoyable read.
excatholic4christ
Tom has a loving heart for Catholics and his blog is an attempt to help those in Catholic churches understand that we are saved by grace alone. He blogs on a variety of topics.
Heavenly Raindrops
God-inspired words and images to bring blessings like rain
m'Kayla's korner
Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. Luke 11:35
Mrs. Acuna's Blog
If you have a teenager or anyone close to being one, this is a must read
REASONED CASES FOR CHRIST
Bruce Cooper’s excellent Christian Apologetic Resources For Laypersons is a place that I’ve been visiting more often as time goes by. You should too!
The Domain for Truth
Slimjim’s “about” states: “(Jim Lee) is a pastor. He is a faithful servant of the church and his Saviour. Although young in age he is trying to be an apologist for the faith. “
The Hope Blog
Former Christian Talk Show Host, Ingrid Schlueter’s blog
The Narrowing Path
A blog to help Christians in Australia connect the dots…(it’s helped me here in the “good” ole U.S.A.)
The Realist Juggernaut
John is a fellow truth-seeker and his blog mission is to navigate the intricate maze of reality, bringing you unfiltered insights and thought-provoking discussions. John efficiently balances news and faith in our challenging times.
Posted by Chris 
Wings of the Wind 
Nicaragua 2009 – 2026
July 7, 2026When Americans think of patriots, they link the title, many times, to heroes of the Revolutionary War. Names like Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, and Hancock come to mind. We use the word patriot to describe men who are willing to risk their own personal freedom for the freedom of others. I am posting this article because Americans take their freedoms for granted at times and need to know about human rights violations occurring in many places in our world. The U.S. has made 250 years. Others are not so fortunate. Many other countries are in constant turmoil. Nicaragua has been one of those countries for some time now.
Back in September of 2009 the citizens of Hot Springs, Arkansas were privileged to visit with six such patriots. The six men were from Nicaragua. Less than one year earlier, on November 9th, 2008, elections were held throughout Nicaragua. On that day, five of our visitors were elected mayors of five of the largest cities in the Central American nation.
Within two weeks of the election, each had been told that the vote count was incorrect and that another candidate was the real winner. All of the new “winners” were candidates supported by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Similar election result “corrections” occurred in 43 municipalities in Nicaragua.
The six individuals visiting Hot Springs were here to tell their stories and to learn how to handle the situation in which they found themselves. They were here on a State Department funded tour of several cities in the United States. The group met with 11 different organizations including one in Washington D.C. attempting to gain information to help their nation solve its problems. What better place to come than a nation that has overcome such obstacles in its past?
Mr. Bob Driggers, of the Garland County Good Government Group (located in Hot Springs, Arkansas), welcomed our visitors and noted several local representatives in attendance. The names of the six Nicaraguan patriots that were present at the meeting held at the Transportation Depot are (see picture above):
Mr. Augusto Ayala elected Mayor of Juigalpa
Mr. German Zeledon elected Mayor of Jinotega
Dr. Rommel Moreno elected Mayor of Corinto
Mr. Francisco Valdivia elected Mayor of Masaya
Mr. Ariel Teran elected Mayor of Leon
Mr. Anibal Rosales of Granada, a political marketing specialist who helped Mr. Teran win his election.
After introductions, Mr. Driggers allowed Mayor Mike Bush to address our visitors. Mayor Bush welcomed our guests and informed them that Hot Springs has not suffered the financial strain that much of the nation is feeling. He added that the effects of the national economy are beginning to take a toll on the area. After his remarks, Mayor Bush had to leave.
Mr. Driggers then welcomed Dr. Gene Shelby, a Hot Springs resident and District 25 Representative to the Arkansas House of Representatives. Mr. Shelby also welcomed our guests and applauded them for the efforts they were making to help the people of Nicaragua. He mentioned the low voter turnout at recent school board elections, referring to the fact that many Americans take their freedoms for granted. He also thanked the Garland Good Government Group for its efforts to make Hot Springs a better place to live.
Ms. Peggy Maruthur was the next local representative to address our new friends. Ms. Maruthur thanked Peggy and Duane Vandenberg for hosting the group. She then explained her responsibilities as a Hot Springs City Director and noted that she had been elected by the people to represent them as a whole and not only those who had more influence than others.
Before Mr. Driggers presented a short Power Point on the recent efforts of the Garland Good Government Group, he recognized the presence of Director Elaine Jones (BOD Dist. 2) Quorum Court member Bud West (J.P. Dist. 9), and Garland County Treasurer Jo West Taylor.
Following the Good Government presentation, Mr. Ariel Teran began an explanation of recent events in Nicaragua. Mr. Teran, a graduate of an American University, and spokesman for the group, presented a short video entitled, “A Democracy Becoming a Dictatorship.” The video showed attempts at peaceful demonstrations and disruptions by youths being paid $10 a day by President Ortega. One scene showed a journalist being stabbed by a man with a machete. The video also showed a statement made by the Nicaraguan Attorney General and pictures of vandalized radio stations. Included were clips taken just two weeks before this visit of protesting students being accosted by paramilitary forces.
The Good Government Power Point had been presented with Spanish Text. The video shown by Mr. Teran had English text. One of the lines read, “To be silent and not act now…would be a great irresponsibility.”
Mr. Teran described how he had been personally affected by the recent events. “This is not a left or right issue. It’s a matter of Nationality,” Mr. Teran explained. He also explained that 2010 elections would be held by the congressmen of Nicaragua to choose the Electoral College. Mr. Teran expressed the fears of many that President Ortega might attempt to bribe the congressmen into his camp. Later in the meeting it was mentioned that money was being sent to Ortega by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
Mr. Teran explained that the problems began in 2006 when the opposition split into two groups. This allowed Ortega to win the Presidential seat with 38% of the vote. Ortega had been defeated by Violeta Barrios de Chamorro in the 1990 presidential election, but he remained an important figure in Nicaraguan opposition politics. Ortega was an unsuccessful candidate for president in 1996 and 2001 before winning the 2006 presidential election.
Mr. Teran said, “Ortega has 34% of the people, but he doesn’t have the congressmen. With the help of God we can make a difference.”
Once the question and answer period began, the first question came from Mr. Driggers who asked about current American assistance to the opposition (of Ortega). Mr. Teran stated that the U.S. government is currently not pushing to help the opposition. “We are not seeking financial assistance,” he said. “We just want the U.S. to sit down with us and listen to what has to be done.”
The other patriots got up and spoke. An interpreter translated for the audience. “Everything is contaminated,” stated Mr. Ayala. “We want to go back to our country and be watchdogs like you,” he said.
Mr. Rosales showed proof of the corruption. Dr. Moreno shared his experience of being elected as mayor and then having his position taken from him. They expressed how they had worked hard and won elections against Ortega’s representatives who were well funded. Mr. Zeledon and Mr. Valdivia also described their experiences and thanked the residents of Hot Springs, as the others had done for the warm welcome they had received.
Mr. Teran showed pictures of ballots that had been found at the dump in Leon, where he had been declared the mayor. The ballots were clearly marked as votes for Mr. Teran. “We took the ballots to the police and we made the national news,” Mr. Teran said. The case was never pursued.
Mr. Driggers made a few concluding remarks and thanked Ms. Barbara Anable for set up and refreshments. At this point, the entire Nicaraguan delegation gave Ms. Anable a standing ovation.
There was a good deal of discussion after the meeting was adjourned. In an interview with Mr. Teran, he stated that his father had been the founder of the baseball team in Leon. Leon has been a city that has had a lot of media attention during the recent political upheaval.
Earlier in this same month, I was fortunate enough to attend and report on an event that included the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, one of our U.S. Senators, one of our Reps. to the U.S. House of Representatives, and two other high ranking officials. I thought this would be the biggest thing I would be attending this year. With all due respect to the public servants I listened to that day, I have to say that this event with the Nicaraguan Patriots inspired me more than any event that I have yet covered.
An audience member enlightened me about the risk that these men were taking by coming to our country. We were all well aware of the risks they had already taken in their own country. Apparent was the courtesy, kindness, integrity, and humility of our visitors from Nicaragua. They were taking a stand for the principles of freedom, just like the difficult stand that our Revolutionary War patriots took. It was a moving experience.
Chris Reimers
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I believe I was the only journalist present for the event with the Nicaraguans. At the time I was writing a news blog with the same name as this blog and this article appeared there and can still be seen here on the ggggnews page. Scroll down if you wish to see the original article. I’ve made a few changes above for easier reading.
The Nicaraguan patriots went back to their county with the hopes of attempting to help create a more transparent and honest government. I kept track as well as I could but contact information they had left became no longer available. Of course, I had heard that Ortega and his followers were creating a mess.
Then, on August 15, 2018, This message appeared on my “about” page and is still there near the bottom:
“Hi Chris, do you remember me? I am Aníbal Rosales, from your article ‘Nicaraguan Patriots Visit Hot Springs’ in October 2009. It is very sad what Nicaragua is living now, what in 2009 seemed like a distant future has arrived. Ortega took all the powers of the state, the presidency, the supreme court of justice, the electoral power and the assembly, he completed his project of dictatorship. Now he is killing his own people, for having raised us to protest against him, since last April 18, more than 350 people have died, there are more than 500 unjustly arrested, many disappeared and many people fleeing in Costa Rica and others living hidden in safe houses, so that the government does not kill them. We have a real humanitarian crisis, there are thousands of people who need shelter, food and medicine. If you can, tell this story to our friends in Hot Springs.”
I responded to Mr. Rosales as best as I could and was surprised that he remembered me and that he had found my blog which now had a new format and a different web address. I was no longer writing as a journalist.
Since then I have checked on Nicaragua from time from time. Essentially, Ortega now has a stranglehold on his position. “In the 2021 Nicaraguan presidential election, President Daniel Ortega effectively became the only viable candidate on the ballot after his government systematically suppressed political pluralism. He eliminated his opposition by jailing seven major presidential challengers and disqualifying all other serious competition, cementing his hold on power in an election that was widely condemned by the international community.”
We Americans should be thankful for our continued freedoms when we read about a country like Nicaragua. Yes, it is in the Western Hemisphere and somehow seems to avoid the attention it should get for its human rights violations. Still, much has been written and discussed about this problem, even though it almost never hits the mainstream news.
Here are other resources if you are interested in knowing more:
Nicaragua’s Unrelenting Campaign to Eliminate Religious Freedom May 2026
New report finds increased restrictions on religious leaders March 2026
Nicaragua Travel Advisory
I pray for the people of Nicaragua and the patriots I met from there back in 2009. Life has gotten much harder for most of the citizens there since that time. May God be with them.
Chris Reimers
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