Posted on 01/01/2005 7:29:00 PM PST by stevejackson
Leftist “militants” ushered in the new year in Colombia in true form: Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) murdered 17 peasants, including 6 women and 4 children, who were gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
When I say “true form,” I mean FARC was practicing the art that the extreme left has mastered, perhaps invented: terrorism. On this New Year’s Eve, the FARC was proving it believes the “end justifies the means,” as it is the grotesque, disfigured child of Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and, yes, even Hitler -- remember, he was a National Socialist (Nazi). FARC is the cousin of Pol Pot, Milosevic, Castro, Arafat, Nasser, and Mengistu. Such wonderful company to be in.
Sadly, the world court of opinion has been preoccupied mostly with bringing “right-wing” murderers to justice. But this New Year’s Eve, Colombians received a gift that may give some comfort to the families of those innocent peasants slaughtered by FARC’s terrorists.
In a little-reported yet important event, Ricardo Palmera, aka Simon Trinidad, a high-ranking FARC leader, was extradited to the U.S. to face charges of “drug-trafficking and abduction.”
Palmera was arrested last year in a joint Colombian/U.S. military operation. This will certainly be a blow to FARC, Colombia's most powerful "rebel" group. The ELN (National Liberation Army) ranks second among Colombia's left-wing murderers. To balance off the left-wing extremists, Colombia has its share of right-wing murderers, like the AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia). According to the Council on Foreign Relations,
Today, the FARC, the ELN, and the AUC--motivated by a mix of ideology, hunger for drug money, and desire for power--engage in terrorism and the narcotics trade...
Maybe there was a time when the FARC had something legitimate to fight for. They claim to stand up for the rural peasants, but I don't believe for a second they do anymore. All's they do now is kill innocent civilians in random acts of terror.
My G#d, what a total mess Colombia is now:
...Colombia’s ongoing civil war, feeble central government, powerful guerrillas and paramilitary groups, and wealthy drug lords have made the country a sanctuary for homegrown terrorist groups that carry out bombings, extortion, kidnapping, and assassination.
I am hopeful that President Uribe can bring stability and peace to Colombia. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, former governor of the Antioquia province, and one-time mayor of Medellin, he was elected Colombia's president by a landslide in May 2002. Uribe has been accused of having links to drug traffickers and right-wing paramilitaries, but no one has substantiated the charges. His 2002 campaign platform promised to get tough on the Marxist FARC and ELN. Colombia's voters obviously liked his message -- and disdained his predecessor, Andres Pastrana.
The idiota Pastrana thought placating the Marxists would bring peace to Colombia. He gave them control over 1/3 of the country. The FARC wasn't satisfied and thanked Pastrana with ultra-violence (terrorism).
Uribe has been pretty tough on the Marxist murderers. Let's hope he's just as tough on the right-wing paramilitaries. The U.S. is backing Uribe with $600 million per year in aid through 2005. I'm not sure how effective this aid will be, as it is mostly aimed at stopping Colombia's illicit drug production and trafficking. With North America and Europe's voracious drug demands, it is likely that some Colombians will find ways to provide supply.
On December 18, President Uribe issued an ultimatum to FARC: release its political hostages or see Palmera extradited to the U.S. Obviously FARC half-blinked first, as Palmera is now in an American cell, but its hostages are still in captivity. According to the BBC,
The Farc have been collecting hostages - politicians, security operatives, and three intelligence contractors.
The rebels have said they will not be released until hundreds of Farc guerrillas in prison are freed.
But in an unprecedented move, President Alvaro Uribe has turned the tables on the guerrillas, using their own tactics against them.
He holds in prison Simon Trinidad, one of the Farc negotiators during a failed peace process with the last government.
The president has given the Farc until 30 December to release the 63 political hostages they hold, or else Trinidad will be extradited to the US to face kidnapping and drugs trafficking charges.
Has Uribe indeed “turned the tables on the guerrillas?” I hope so. There are positive signs beyond Palmera's extradition. On December 19, about 550 members of Colombia’s right-wing terrorist group, AUC, surrendered their weapons to government authorities. In all of 2004, some 3,000 of AUC’s members have disarmed. Will FARC follow suit? I’m not getting my hopes up… yet. Feliz año nuevo, mi Colombia querida.
http://netwmd.com/articles/article840.html
Awesome article!!!
I`m right now in Barranquilla, spending my winter vacation with family, friends and a special girl... this country has endless amounts of hope and optimism, despite all the tragic things happening here.
Just yesterday I celebrated New Year`s Eve in a party mood unreplicable anywhere else in the world. We take our New Year`s very seriously, and just had probably the best time in my life. I arrived at my dad`s at 5 in the morning, and I don`t regret it!!!
I`ll write more in detail when I go back to St. Louis, because I`m leaving now for more PARTAY!!!.
See you later
Thanks for posting this. I so love hearing about this issue now because we all have real reason for hope in gutsy President Uribe, who like President Allawi of Iraq, is absolutely irreplaceable. This issue needs to be better known this is a president with cannonball cojones who is destroying these animals. A Colombian official called this latest peasant massacre the thrashing of a wounded animal in its death throes. Amen.
President Uribe will be victorious.
President Uribe has cojones like cannonballs. He will lay these Marxist drug dealers to waste. This is the thrashing of a wounded beast in its death throes.
Victory to President Uribe.
Here is what kind of person President Uribe really is:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1307042/posts
Feliz Navidad y Ano Nuevo Propero.
Feliz Navidad y Ano Nuevo Prospero.
The guy has cojones. He's awesome. A Latin American President Bush and popular as hell, too.
Compare and contrast to a highly despised slimebucket like Hugo Chavez. I always look with fascination when those two men meet - the one an utter man and the other an oozing communist clown. I wonder what President Uribe's thoughts are as he looks as the scumbag.
Feliz Año Nuevo a ti! Remember to bring back a Costeña for me, as they are in short supply here in Seattle.
Are you at the El Prado or the Dann?...sorry, I see you're at Dad's.
Does Julio Nasser still own the Prado or did he get "shipped north" by La Dea?
IS that long wharf west of town near the "beach" and the Baranquilla "yacht club" still there? Used to jog out there.
Back 10-12 years ago, they were developing really nice homes west of town on the outskirts of the fancy part of Baranquilla. Several of my pals built there in bluffs overlooking the Caribbean. Baranquilla's answer to Rododero in Santa Marta.
My north coast memories are dated ...like me.
Have fun.....I already have a babe...bring me a Botero!
Cuidado....I had a pal kidnapped by some terrs from around Fundacion right off the streets of Baranquilla (in the nice part) back in 88 or so. I think it was ELN.
Boy....the tales I could tell about Colombia.
It sure beats any hotel, any day!!! Update 1: "El Dann", which is one block from my dad's apartment, is now called Hotel Barranquilla Plaza, with new owners. Paradoxically, now the Dann-Carlton chain of hotels owns "El Prado" since 2002 or 2003.
Does Julio Nasser still own the Prado or did he get "shipped north" by La Dea?
He had all his stuff expropiated by the Colombian government, and he's in jail at La Modelo on Via 40. Now Sheila, his wife, that's the one who now has accomodations in Florida courtesy of the US Bureau of Corrections. Julio offered himself to be extradited so she could remain in Colombia, to no avail.
IS that long wharf west of town near the "beach" and the Baranquilla "yacht club" still there? Used to jog out there.
It is, but I haven't had the chance to go, though.
Back 10-12 years ago, they were developing really nice homes west of town on the outskirts of the fancy part of Baranquilla. Several of my pals built there in bluffs overlooking the Caribbean. Baranquilla's answer to Rododero in Santa Marta.
Well, it still is. There's been a lot of new homes and apartment buildings west of 93rd St. (Calle 93) and north of 51B Av. (Carrera 51B). After I left Barranquilla to live in St. Louis, a new mall was opened, called Buenavista, and the place has too little or nothing to envy to the best malls in the US. Just yesterday I was at Sabanilla with the uncle at my mom's side who remains in Colombia and his family, and the special girl and her family, since she's the niece of my uncle's wife. Looking from there, you can see a building overlooking Puerto Colombia and the Caribbean Sea. It was never finished, much less occupied, thanks to soil stability issues.
My north coast memories are dated ...like me. Don't worry. Many of the things here stay the same, so you won't have a hard time reconnecting with this place. Anyway, Barranquilla and the Caribbean Colombia are the best places on Earth for me.
Have fun.....I already have a babe...bring me a Botero!
You bet I've had a lot of fun, both with my clothes on and mostly off (at the beach). And you wish I'm giving you a Botero!!! :P
Cuidado....I had a pal kidnapped by some terrs from around Fundacion right off the streets of Baranquilla (in the nice part) back in 88 or so. I think it was ELN.
Fresco, no te preocupes!!! I blend in pretty much well, besides the fact that I'm 6'3", 290 lbs. I drive a 1993 Hyundai car, so I don't look half appetizing to anyone with any interest.
Boy....the tales I could tell about Colombia.
Wait till I sit down and write my photo essay...
I can show you a pic of my potential sister-in-law, if you like and can wait until after the 17th, which is the day I go back to STL.
She ain't bad-looking, if you don't mind the fact she's from Cúcuta, therefore not costeña, and she's 29, if your thing is younger women.
I'll keep you posted.
I'll be turning 29 this year. I've heard good things about girls from Cucuta. ;-)
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