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| US to Broaden Colombian Aid |
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Posted by FoM on March 26, 2002 at 17:22:44 PT By Jared Kotler, Associated Press Writer Source: Associated Press 
The United States should soon be able to help Colombia defend itself against insurgent groups and not just drug traffickers, the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration predicted Tuesday.During a visit to the world's main cocaine producing nation, DEA chief Asa Hutchinson said he expects the Congress will approve a Bush administration request for authority "in fighting both the terrorists and the drug traffickers" here. U.S. and Colombian officials are increasingly using the term "terrorists" to refer to leftist guerrillas and an illegal right-wing paramilitary group fighting in Colombia's 38-year war. Both have terrorized civilians and each is believed to rely on profits from the drug trade. But until now, U.S. military aid to Colombia has been restricted largely to anti-narcotics purposes. Although no direct U.S. combat role is envisioned, the Bush Administration – under a request made last week – is reportedly considering more direct counterinsurgency aid and training. Some critics worry that could draw Washington too deeply into Colombia's 38-year conflict. With rebels moving ever deeper into the drug trade – and in some instances becoming "one and the same" as traffickers – Hutchinson said broader military aid is justified. "President Bush remains committed to continuing the U.S. support of Colombia in its fight against terror, terror which the world now knows is funded to a large extent by drugs," he said, during a speech at police headquarters in Bogota. The DEA chief pointed colorfully to the case of a Colombian guerrilla leader indicted in the United States this month for drug trafficking. "As he and others hide in the jungle, waiting as a crouching lion to pounce on his next victim, he believes he is above the law. He is wrong. He must be brought to justice," Hutchinson said. At a later news conference, Hutchinson declined to comment on whether an operation was afoot to capture the rebel, Tomas Medina, of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. U.S. prosecutors say his unit, based in jungles near the Brazilian border, conspired with Brazilian traffickers to ship cocaine to the United States. Hutchinson said Colombia's main paramilitary leader, Carlos Castano of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, is also under U.S. investigation for drug trafficking. The DEA has cited Castano before as a drug trafficker, but he has not been indicted in the United States. Whether Castano – and other guerrilla leaders beside Medina – are indicted will depend on how much evidence U.S. authorities can collect, Hutchinson said. Hutchinson was also asked about a message posted on the Internet Tuesday by Castano, in which the paramilitary leaders says he has been trying to help dozens of Colombian drug traffickers turn themselves over to U.S. justice – apparently in plea deals. "We do not negotiate with narco-traffickers unless they simply want to know how to surrender," the DEA chief said. Source: Associated Press Related Articles & Web Site: Colombia Drug War News DeWine Backs Administration on Colombia Plan to Lift Limits on Past Colombia Aid US Seeks to Protect Colombia Pipeline Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #11 posted by kaptinemo on March 27, 2002 at 06:20:21 PT:
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| Is this 1963 or the year 2002? In 1963, the US was only providing arms and military 'advisors' to the Diem Regime in Viet Nam - despite the fact that the ruling Roman Catholic minority was universally despised by the Budhhist majority. In election after voided popular election, the people there proved they wanted nothing to do with the French-installed and American-supported puppets. We didn't listen to those people and their displeasure with their rulers, and instead embarked on a war that made lots of very wealthy people much wealthier...and added too many rows of headstones at Arlington and elsewhere. Now, the people of Colombia have made an extraordinary vote of no confidence in 'their' leaders, and have made the clearest signal yet that they want nothing to do with the Pastrana government or it's mirror image waiting in the wings ...and their US backers. They've had enough. They've seen what we've done to Afghanistan, and they know what we've done with spraying toxins not allowd to be used here in the U S of A. In 1963, we had planty of warning...and all that we have for our efforts in not paying attention are a generation of people deeply divided to this day, maimed veterans (and not all scars or amputations are visible, folks) and a black granite Wall in DC to remind us not to trust politicians. In 2002 we are having plenty of warning, too... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #10 posted by Jose Melendez on March 27, 2002 at 05:00:08 PT |
| http://www.nativeweb.org/pages/legal/amherst/34_40_290_p.jpeg [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #9 posted by Jose Melendez on March 27, 2002 at 04:59:03 PT:
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| ...he and others hide in the jungle, waiting as a crouching lion to pounce on his next victim, DEA chief Asa Hutchinson "There appears to be few Savages yet on these frontiers, but every tree is become an Indian for the terrified inhabitant." [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #8 posted by goneposthole on March 26, 2002 at 20:38:02 PT |
| Park every naval fleet from every country that has one along the coasts of Venezula, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to unleash all of the munitions from each and every war ship. The Army and Marines invade full force into all of South America. China invade Russia, Russia invade Europe. Launch every nuclear missle there is to anywhere on earth. Fly every war plane there is on earth until every bomb has been dropped. In short, annihilate everything on the face of the earth. Exhaust every military resource the world has. Move from continent to continent, unleash a fury until hell won't have it, then let go some more. Your basic Armegeddon. Those flashy advertisements on TV glorifying military life has to pay off big someday. With the appropriate effort put forth, it could be hell on earth. Blame it all on the evil weed, what the hell? Verrucht Peace [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by The GCW on March 26, 2002 at 19:16:59 PT |
| Write / keep writing about it to the editors. SALUTE TO THOSE WHO WROTE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR This is the wording of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n003/a09.html?397 . I have believed that the First Amendment reference to freedom of the press works only if those of us who have a press let you use ours. If we don't "loan" our press to you, the ideals as expressed in the First Amendment can't possibly be met. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by Lehder on March 26, 2002 at 19:04:40 PT |
| I don't give a twisted jesus about colombian guerrilla leaders or potassium permanganate or football or any other american crap. I do know that when Bush and Ashcroft announced a forty year war they should have been hauled away by the guys in white coats. All americans should be ashamed of themselves for harboring these pigs and honoring their policies. A forty year war? You're all fucking crazy. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #5 posted by p4me on March 26, 2002 at 18:52:20 PT |
| Narconews is a good site for the happenings in South America and they covered the defeat of the two leading political parties in the elections held a couple of weeks ago. http://www.narconews.com/colombiavote2002.html What will be the warning label on the whole cannabis pills by GW Pharacueticals be in the UK.? VAAI [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by mayan on March 26, 2002 at 18:29:12 PT |
| It is strange that after 38 years of civil war in Columbia, the "leftist guerrillas" have suddenly become "terrorists" overnight. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on March 26, 2002 at 18:05:29 PT:
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| This is the beginning of a very ugly fight. Ugly, because Uncle has just made a very loud 'tacit' admission he was at fault for a wrongful death. Now imagine what happens wehn Uncle finally drops the lie and admits he was wrong about cannabis, altogther. The treasuries will be emptied within days. Uncle's bean-counters know this...and despite their bravado, are shaking in their Gucci's. So we can expect the propaganda war to heat up tremendously, with even greater viciousness to try to quiet the Reform movement or to destroy it altogether. This is what's behind the GAO snooping around the Cannabis Clubs in Oregon; the antis want to attack them in the same way that they successfully attacked the clubs in California. They know that with the slow inevitability of sunrise, the demands for reparations will increase. If they cannot bully and intimidate those making the demands into silence, the game is over. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #2 posted by ekim on March 26, 2002 at 17:43:26 PT:
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| Dear Diane,
yesterday I was hoping to hear someone address this issue. It seems to me
only fair that if we are spraying the lush green jungles which bring so much
of the air we need, this issue of permanganate be addressed also. The
complete story can be read at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drugnews/message/5824 just hit message when page opens. I want to thank you again for all the time and effort you have given to the people. As stated by the DEA: Much of GMP's permanganate went out the door in small volumes of only 4.6 kilos - enough to make 46 kilos of cocaine, valued at $30,000 a kilo in Miami, or $1.38 million dollars per "small" shipment - at a time. The bottom line is this: coca grows on trees in Colombia, and most of the battles between military, paramilitary, police, rebels and the poor farmers - if anyone hopes to control the coca leaf market - will be waged in vain for decades to come. But he who controls the potassium permanganate market in Colombia - a product that must be imported from continents far away - truly controls the global traffic of processed cocaine. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by The GCW on March 26, 2002 at 17:41:18 PT |
| Just some of the cost involved. Pubdate: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 Source: Reason Magazine (US) DRUG WAR REPARATIONS http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n573/a02.html?397 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm As I have often remarked, we can have a Bill of Rights or we can have a War on Drugs, but we can't have both, and as you might expect, Civil Asset Forfeiture is a byproduct of the War on Drugs. Ed Quillen Webpage: http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,150%257E485798,00.html?search=filter [ Post Comment ] |
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