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US Funding Murder of Colombian Citizens |
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It’s crazy, I know, but there are things happening right now, all over the world, that have very little to do with our election cycle. It’ll probably take most individuals until at least Saturday to remember that much-overlooked fact, but I’m coming with it anyway, whether you want it or not.
In Bolivia…
President Evo Morales announced he is suspending all USDEA activity in Bolivia on the charge that recent insurrectionist activity bears the agency’s fingerprints. Long-standing animosity towards Morales, compounded by some recent brinksmanship, add weight to the charge.
In September, Morales expelled the US ambassador to Bolivia. The White House responded by calling the kettle black, saying the expulsion was a sign of “weakness and desperation…and an inability to communicate effectively internationally in order to build international support.” It then promptly expelled the Bolivian ambassador and placed Bolivia on an “anti-narcotics blacklist” that cuts trade preferences.
Meanwhile, in Colombia…
Adding to the already ample evidence that the ”War on Drugs” is meant to secure profits for US multinationals, not reduce drug flows or secure societies, the NYT offers this troubling report:
Prosecutors and human rights researchers are investigating hundreds of … deaths and disappearances, contending that Colombia’s security forces are increasingly murdering civilians and making it look as if they were killed in combat, often by planting weapons by the bodies or dressing them in guerrilla fatigues.
Colombia - our staunchest Latin ally, touted as the biggest “success” in our campaign against drugs and the recipient of billions in aid - is using our funds to kill its civilians. Seeing how incompetently we run our own elections, it’s no surprise we bungle bureaucratic operations below the equator:
The wave of killings has also heightened focus on the American Embassy here, which is responsible for vetting Colombian military units for human rights abuses before they can receive aid. A study of civilian killings by Amnesty International and Fellowship of Reconciliation, human rights groups, found that 47 percent of the cases reported in 2007 involved Colombian units financed by the United States.
Wait a minute…the US’ haphazard and self-interested distribution of aid is funding murder in Colombia, a country we have a pending FTA with…the USDEA is being accused of destabilizing a society whose (hostile)president was once a labor organizer for coca growers and is now an ally of Venezuela and Iran…This does have a connection to the election, and will certainly have repercussions for the next president of the United States. In fact, it is exactly the sort of topic two presidential candidates could discuss, offering insight into their positions, ideology and what to expect with each as president. Now, if only we could get someone in the fucking media to…
ah, never mind. Back to the pony show.
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