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| Bush Backs Colombian Crackdown on Rebels |
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Posted by FoM on February 21, 2002 at 12:21:54 PT By Barry Schweid, AP Diplomatic Writer Source: Associated Press 
The Bush administration supported Colombian President Andres Pastrana in his decision to crack down on rebels."It's his decision," a senior administration official said Thursday of Pastrana's cancellation of peace talks and ordering the bombing of positions controlled by leftist guerrillas. "We supported President Pastrana all along," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another official, also asking not to be identified, said there is no consideration being given for using U.S. troops in a combat role. The official said the administration is reviewing the measures it might take to help Colombia within the limits imposed by the Congress. U.S. military assistance is generally limited by law to assisting Colombia's counternarcotics campaign. Among the options under consideration are enhanced intelligence sharing and a speedup in the delivery of spare parts for U.S. helicopters used by the Colombian military in the drug fight. The administration also may take steps to permit increased aerial spraying of narcotics fields — something the Colombians have been seeking. This could impair the rebels' war-fighting capability because they derive much of their income from the drug trade. The deadly attacks by FARC guerrillas since Jan. 20, when they agreed to make the peace process work, are horrible, the senior U.S. official said. Also, he cited the hijacking of an airplane Wednesday and the kidnaping of a Colombian senator. "We can understand President Pastrana's frustration," the official said. A formal statement was not issued immediately by the State Department. Steve Lucas, spokesman for U.S. Southern Command, said there are about 250 U.S. military personnel, 50 civilian employees and 100 civilian military contractors in Colombia. Also, State Department employees and contractors, who fly and maintain planes and helicopters used for drug crop eradication, also are in the South American country. Congress has restricted U.S. personnel in Colombia to 400 military and 400 civilian. Lucas said U.S. personnel provide military advice to the ambassador and staff and tactical advice and training for Colombian anti-narcotics operations. Though the administration and Congress had expressed interest in broadening the U.S. military role in Colombia, "We are still operating under the existing guidance which is U.S. assistance to Colombia is limited to counternarcotics," Lucas said. The spokesman declined to say where in Colombia most of the U.S. personnel are based, but said "generally speaking, they are in secure areas — as secure as things get in Colombia — and we constantly address the potential threat to U.S. personnel and move them accordingly." Source: Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site: Colombia Drug War News Officials Seeking Shift in Colombia Drug War US Seeks To Help Colombia Defend Pipeline When War is Over, Oil Dealers Will Be Winners Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #8 posted by Sam Adams on February 22, 2002 at 08:19:28 PT |
| "I never met a war I didn't like!" [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #7 posted by Jose Melendez on February 22, 2002 at 06:46:51 PT:
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| check out: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2219.html [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #6 posted by Jose Melendez on February 21, 2002 at 17:33:05 PT:
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| p4me, Seems they are as serious about spending money on tobacco prevention as they are about putting lottery money into schoolbooks. On another note, I am glad I reread yor post. At first I thought you wrote incinerate them... [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #5 posted by Jose Melendez on February 21, 2002 at 17:28:00 PT:
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| "Any drugs in the car?"
Of course not. Would you mind stepping out of the car? Put your hands on top of the car and spread your legs, you're under arrest. I smell cigarettes... and what's this, a coffee cup? What if YOUR drugs were illegal?[ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by mayan on February 21, 2002 at 16:50:20 PT |
| That link confirms what I have thought for a long time. It inspired me to do a little search & I came up with this regarding T.V. & brainwashing(I like how it opens with a quote from Orwell's "1984"): http://dieoff.org/page24.htm [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on February 21, 2002 at 15:06:14 PT |
| http://www.sciam.com/2002/0202issue/0202kubey.html [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by p4me on February 21, 2002 at 14:50:32 PT |
| Jose, the educational channel has a program that runs M-F called "North Carolina Now." The show said that the State had budgeted 900,000 for tobacco prevention. It said that the Center for Disease Control recommended $42,600,000. There is a growing group of people in North Carolina calling for an increase in the 5 cent a pack tax to be spemt soley on prevention. They cited the California example of what raising the tax on cigarettes to increase the price so young people could not afford them and the spending of that tax revenue on prevention could do. The tobacco tax in NY is the highest at $1.11. I say drug test the children for tobacco and incarcerate them. If there parents are in conspiracy that should be a felony and they should seize the house and imprison the parents. This illegal drug use has got to stop. Show me the movie. VAAI. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #1 posted by Jose Melendez on February 21, 2002 at 12:44:30 PT:
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From:
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n302/a04.html?397
The governor said he wants to restore funding for those on probation and receiving treatment in the drug court program as well as "punishing the folks that are profiting from other people's sadness and despair that comes from addiction."Except tobacco or alcohol, that is... from: Although new Republican Governor Jeb Bush publicly called for the continuation of the Tobacco Pilot Program and the Truth Campaign, the program's funding was reduced from $70.5 million to $45.2 million (-36%) for the 1999-2000 Fiscal Year due to legislative votes by Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate to substantially reduce the funding of the program. These cuts were made despite public opinion polls showing that 49% of the public supported the program without any cuts and 30% supported the program with the $8.5 million cut proposed by Governor Bush. Don't hear him calling for prosecution of addiction profiteers on this subject, do we? Two projects of the Tobacco Pilot Program which are crucial to maintaining the viability of the program including the Truth Campaign and administrative support for the Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) also received large budgetary reductions. [ Post Comment ] |
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