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| Plan to Lift Limits on Past Colombia Aid |
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Posted by FoM on March 23, 2002 at 10:28:05 PT By Paul Richter Source: Common Dreams 
The Bush administration has asked Congress to allow the Colombian government to use past anti-drug contributions of helicopters, planes, gunboats and other equipment in its expanding campaign against guerrilla groups, officials said yesterday. The administration has previously signaled that it would ask Congress to allow new aid to be used for "counterterrorism" activities, as well as for the anti-drug effort. But, in a supplemental budget request submitted this week, the administration seeks to further leverage the efforts against the rebels by loosening restrictions on past aid as well. The supplemental budget request that includes the unfettering of past aid also seeks $35 million in new funding for the current year. The sum would be in addition to $435 million the administration already requested for Colombia for fiscal 2003. "This is big," said Adam Isacson, a Latin American expert at the Center for International Policy, a center-left think tank in Washington. Congressional aides of the two major U.S. parties expect a fight over the proposal this spring because some lawmakers fear that broadening military aid could mire the United States in a conflict that has raged for 38 years. Critics say the budget request language permitting use of the money for "counterterrorism" defines its purpose so broadly that the Colombian government "could use it for almost anything," in the words of one aide. Bush administration aides have been arguing that the United States needs to quickly step up the battle against the two main Colombian rebel groups, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army. The leftist guerrillas are battling Colombian government forces and right-wing paramilitary groups. U.S. officials contend that the United States should intervene because the groups pose a threat to an allied democracy and to Americans directly. Administration officials maintain that past U.S. policy, which tried to limit aid to the anti-drug effort, was unrealistic because the rebels have turned to drug trafficking to fund their insurgency. U.S. aid to Colombia has been allocated to a variety of purposes, including building the country's economy and developing its democratic institutions. But the U.S. anti-drug aid has bought military equipment that could be used against the rebels. The United States has appropriated money to provide about 75 helicopters for the Colombian military, according to analyst Isacson, although not all of those are now ready for operations. He said the United States has also bought about a dozen helicopters for the Colombian police and has provided fixed-wing aircraft with sophisticated sensors, and some river gunboats that are armed with machine guns. Note: U.S. planes could hunt guerrillas. Newshawk: Mike G Related Articles & Web Site: Center for International Policy Colombia Drug War News Direct U.S. Aid to Colombia Likely US Seeks to Protect Colombia Pipeline Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #5 posted by Jose Melendez on March 25, 2002 at 10:08:41 PT:
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| See: http://www.accubec.org/shooting.html
From
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| Comment #4 posted by dddd on March 24, 2002 at 10:58:41 PT |
| ..I appreciate the recognition....this color code thing has gotta be one of the most grotesquely silly item since the shrub actually used the term "evil-doers"...It is astonishingly terrifying to think that no one seems to be able to publicly question this bizarreness!...the color-code thing is hilarious!,,If I was going to try to come up with a really stupid,embarassing,and farfetched script for a cheap comedy that poked fun at the government,,and I came up with this color-coded terror level thing,,it would be considered far too unrealistic of a scenario,,,,,,.. ..However...I gotta admit ..I am delighted to see such an awesome example of unbelievable folly by an already idiotic administration!...It dont get much better than that,,,all we can do,,is hope that they will out-do themselves,and come out with a "terrormometer",that will be capable of recognizing 12 different colors of the terror spectrum...yup,,I think that a good career would be to become a terror analyst..dddd [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #3 posted by lookinside on March 24, 2002 at 10:13:23 PT:
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| As usual, you point out the strangeness involved. I listened to a radio talk show the other morning. They had a guy at a remote location. He was reporting the threat indicator's readings on the street corners in a major city. They kept going from green to yellow to red and back to green in a matter of moments. The guy seemed really rattled. If a terrorist happens to sneak a nuke onto a ship and detonates it in New York Harbor, or San Francisco Bay, can we count on a "red" level prior to the incident? Will our office of homeland security alert us? What really bothers me is that the media is actually giving these guys credence. I'm beginning to believe that there is NOTHING we can believe on TV news or in the newspapers. I'm appalled that we aren't seeing analysts picking this BS apart every minute of every day on every channel and in every paper. They keep on mentioning the 80+% approval ratings, yet I don't know ANYONE who approves of what our government is doing. Where are all those people? Are the polls blatantly fabricated? Are the shrub's minions attempting to shove "the BIG LIE" down our throats, whole? I keep hoping to see a bit of sanity spoken by someone with clout. When someone speaks honestly, they are immediately attacked and discredited. The tone of press conferences recently is frightening. If a reporter asks a straight question, he is treated like an imbecile for even asking it. The election in November, if it is reported honestly(I wonder if it will be), will be our last hope of turning things around.
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| Comment #2 posted by dddd on March 24, 2002 at 08:42:10 PT |
| ...Tom Ridge,,,trying to explain to Sam Donaldson the ridiculous color coded terror alert system....I am awestruck by the stupidity of this strange item..I suspect that the same guy who came up with the "new Coca-cola,was involved with suggesting this tinkertoy-crayola-learning impaired "Threat level" indicater...I mean,,a threat level measuring thing is stupid enough to begin with,,,but to try and make some color code thing out of it,is absurdly idiotic,and an embarassment to any and all who feel that this is something that is part of the America that they are believing in....gimme a break!,,what the fuck is going on here?..are we to think that the color coding will make it easy for illiterate people to be aware of terror alert levels????If a major terror alert color comes up,are we somehow expected to plan accordingly??...."Hey,,Fred,,come on over tonight and we'll get stoned and order a pizza or something"......"Not tonight man,they have issued a red terror alert level,and Idont want to drive around when the terror level is so high.Maybe tomorrow it will go back to green or yellow"... ...What kind of silly game is this?..Are we supposed to think this is normal?,,dddd [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by dddd on March 24, 2002 at 07:50:55 PT |
| ..but I have a question....;Is there anyone out there who watches shows like Meet the Press,or This week,, and feel confident enough to tell me that Tim Russerts questions to Dick Cheney,,or anyone else are spontaneous and "on the spot".?...It is another silly tragedy,that these people pretend that Sam and Cokie are asking "tough questions",to the guests..... ..If or when ,one comes to the realiziation that these Sunday morning "news" shows,are nothing more than political info-mercials,and are direct,total propaganda,,it gives one a whole new outlook!..,..I still want to know,if there is someone out there,who feels that the discussions that take place on these shows are spontaneous, and genuine,,unrehearsed,,innocent and unbiased??????...dddd [ Post Comment ] |
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