cannabisnews.com: House Vote Saves Colombian Anti-Drug Funds





House Vote Saves Colombian Anti-Drug Funds
Posted by FoM on July 25, 2001 at 11:38:59 PT
By Paul De La Garza
Source: St. Petersburg Times
After sometimes-heated debate Tuesday over U.S. aid to Colombia next year, the Republican-controlled House fought back repeated efforts by Democrats to scale back funding. Through several amendments, opponents had sought to shift money from the Andean anti-drug initiative to health programs. The big question centered on the amount of money U.S. taxpayers should be shelling out to Colombia's armed forces. 
The Bush administration is proposing $676-million in counternarcotics funds to the region, mostly for Colombia. Last year, Congress approved $1.3-billion to help launch Plan Colombia, an ambitious internationally funded aid package to stabilize the war-ravaged country. Colombia is the world's largest supplier of cocaine and, increasingly, heroin. With coca cultivation showing no signs of abating despite an aggressive U.S.-sponsored aerial eradication program, and with the peace process between Bogota and Marxist rebels going nowhere, American drug policy has come under growing attack. On Tuesday, familiar arguments broke mostly along party lines. Republicans say that without the right backing, Latin America's oldest democracy could topple. Democrats revive the ghosts of Vietnam and El Salvador, warning that U.S. aid was helping to draw the United States into Colombia's civil war. "A military solution is a dead-end solution," said Rep. John W. Olver, D-Mass. "It is really time to try something else." Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., argued that the United States owed it to Colombia to help because American drug consumers were largely responsible for its woes. Republicans accused Democrats of retreating in the drug war. Democrats argued that they would be willing to back additional funding for Colombia's armed forces if they vowed to cut ties to right wing paramilitary groups, largely responsible for the scores of massacres in the Andean nation. "To show we do care about human rights, Congress should not be an apologist for bad behavior," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who sponsored an amendment that would have reduced military aid to Colombia by $100-million. "We should not look the other way." In approving the $1.3-billion aid package last year, Congress required that the military meet certain human rights conditions. Former President Bill Clinton, however, routinely waived the requirements. Amendments offered by Democrats would have directed funds toward fighting AIDS and tuberculosis and to child survival efforts. But Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., who steered the Republican strategy, said that the Andean anti-drug initiative already struck a balance between the various interests. Rep. McGovern's proposal to cut funding, he said, "short-changes development in Latin America." The defeat of the amendments was a victory for the Bush administration. Any reductions below what the president wanted, the White House had said, "would undermine the effort to develop healthy, licit economies and strong democratic governments in the Andes." The foreign operations budget next year totals $15.2-billion. The bill for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 passed 381-46 late Tuesday. This year, the administration has won over some doubters by broadening its policy out from Colombia to include counternarcotics funding for its neighbors, principally Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Under the Andean initiative, Colombia will receive the bulk of the funding, about $400-million, well below the $500-million it wanted. As it stands now, the foreign operations bill provides $474-million for international AIDS programs, including $100-million the president requested for an international HIV-AIDS trust fund. Earlier, the House, by a 240-188 vote, defeated an amendment by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., that would have shifted $60-million from the Andes spending plan and military aid programs to the AIDS trust fund. Then, by 249-179, it rejected the McGovern amendment. Opponents of the two amendments argued that the Andean package was vital to national security. Besides military aid, it provides support for coca crop eradication and crop replacement, judicial reform and the peace process. "What we don't want to do here today in misguided compassion, is to turn the clock back on our efforts to stem illegal narcotics," said Rep. John Mica, R-Fla. The Senate has not yet taken up a version of the bill. - Information from Times wires was used in this report. Note: After sometimes-heated debate Tuesday over U.S. aid to Colombia next year, the Republican-controlled House fought back repeated efforts by Democrats to scale back funding.Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL)Author: Paul De La GarzaPublished July 25, 2001 Copyright: 2001 St. Petersburg TimesContact: letters sptimes.comWebsite: http://www.sptimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Colombia Drug War Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/colombia.htmHouse Rejects Colombian Anti-Drug Cutshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10404.shtmlUS House Backs Colombian Anti-Drug Spending http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10402.shtmlU.N. Wants Audit of Colombia Cocaine Spraying http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10400.shtml 
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Comment #4 posted by Jose Melendez on May 12, 2004 at 08:01:42 PT
OUT John Mica
http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/101204.htmhttp://www.ciponline.org/bibliogr/co.htmalso, from: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEASTCOL051204.htm "If a single Florida incumbent loses in November it would be an upset, a national story." - - -Mirror Campaign:http://rxpot.com/sayNoWay/vs. http://www.house.gov/mica/welcome.htmWage peace.http://Rxpot.com
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Comment #3 posted by legalizeit on July 25, 2001 at 16:33:23 PT
F*** the Republicans
> Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., argued that the United States owed it to Colombia to help because American drug consumers were largely responsible for its woes. To find out who is most responsible for Colombia's woes, Souder need not look any further than a mirror that he, Mica, Barr, Hatch and his other ultra-fascist cronies are looking into.The Demos aren't much better, but at least they sometimes fight on the side of reason in issues such as this.>"What we don't want to do here today in misguided compassion, is to turn the clock back on our efforts to stem illegal narcotics," said Rep. John Mica, R-Fla. If it were possible to turn the clock back to a time before overzealous politicians guided by racism initiated this whole "illegal drugs" mess, it would be the most compassionate thing anyone could do!Oh, I forgot. "Compassion" isn't in the average drug warrior's vocabulary.
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Comment #2 posted by Lehder on July 25, 2001 at 13:56:55 PT
George Bush Antichrist
It is written:http://www.geocities.com/trebor_92627/Bush.htmhttp://www.konformist.com/2000/bushjr666.htm
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Comment #1 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on July 25, 2001 at 11:43:07 PT
Where's the savings?
  Shouldn't the headline read  House Vote Spends Columbian Anti-Drug Funds  instead?
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