Speech Out of Doors or Balaguer and the Dominican Military

Speech Out of Doors: Preserving First Amendment Liberties in Public Places

Author: Timothy Zick

Even in an age characterized by increasing virtual presence and communication, speakers still need physical places in which to exercise First Amendment liberties. This book examines the critical intersection of public speech and spatiality. Through a tour of various places on what the author calls the "expressive topography," the book considers a variety of public speech activities including sidewalk counseling at abortion clinics, residential picketing, protesting near funerals, assembling and speaking on college campuses, and participating in public rallies and demonstrations at political conventions and other critical democratic events. This examination of public liberties, or speech out of doors, shows that place can be as important to one's expressive experience as voice, sight, and auditory function. Speakers derive a host of benefits, such as proximity, immediacy, symbolic function, and solidarity, from message placement. Unfortunately, for several decades the ground beneath speakers' feet has been steadily eroding. The causes of this erosion are varied and complex; they include privatization and other loss of public space, legal restrictions on public assembly and expression, methods of policing public speech activity, and general public apathy. To counter these forces and reverse at least some of their effects will require a focused and sustained effort - by public officials, courts, and of course, the people themselves.

Book review: Mastering Depression through Interpersonal Psychotherapy or Country Folk Medicine

Balaguer and the Dominican Military: Presidential Control of the Factional Officer Corps in the 1960s and 1970s

Author: Brian J Bosch

Following the 1961 assassination of dictator Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican Republic descended into a period of national turmoil and political instability, culminating in 1965 when a catastrophic civil war engulfed the capital city of Santo Domingo. The intervention of foreign troops, particularly U.S. troops, played a critical role in the multinational effort to allow presidential elections to take place in June 1966. The result was the installation of Joaquin Balaguer in the presidency. Subsequently, this skillful civilian leader defeated both a right wing coup and a Cuban-based guerrilla expedition, and successfully gained control of the chaotic Dominican officer corps by the mid-1970s.
In this comprehensive study of the Dominican Republic's Balaguer era, the author draws upon declassified U.S. State Department and military documents and his own experiences as an army attaché in the U.S. Embassy, Santo Domingo, during the early 1970s. The result is a unique, inside look at Balaguer's presidency, his skillful manipulation of rival officers and cliques, and American involvement in the political history of the Dominican Republic.

Table of Contents:

Preface     1
The Foundations of the Officer Corps     5
The Officer Corps and Factionalism     8
The Officer Corps and Balaguer     30
A Military View of the Armed Forces     44
Officer Corps Attitudes During Balaguer's Second Term     64
Nivar Versus Perez y Perez: A Politico-Military Rivalry     77
The Rivalry Continues     102
The Wessin y Wessin Question     112
La Banda and Showdown     133
Nivar in the National Police     149
Perez y Perez Dominates the Ground Forces     174
The Caamano Dossier     183
The Critical First 12 Days of the Caamano Expedition     198
The Death of Caamano and the Aftermath     221
The End of the Campaign     245
The Last Years of the Rivalry Between Nivar and Perez y Perez     267
A Final View     281
Chapter Notes     291
Bibliography     311
Index     319