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Ecuador wants military base in Miami
Reuters ^ | 10/22/07 | Phil Stewart

Posted on 10/22/2007 8:38:02 PM PDT by LibWhacker

NAPLES (Reuters) - Ecuador's leftist President Rafael Correa said Washington must let him open a military base in Miami if the United States wants to keep using an air base on Ecuador's Pacific coast.

Correa has refused to renew Washington's lease on the Manta air base, set to expire in 2009. U.S. officials say it is vital for counter-narcotics surveillance operations on Pacific drug-running routes.

"We'll renew the base on one condition: that they let us put a base in Miami -- an Ecuadorean base," Correa said in an interview during a trip to Italy.

"If there's no problem having foreign soldiers on a country's soil, surely they'll let us have an Ecuadorean base in the United States."

The U.S. embassy to Ecuador says on its Web site that anti-narcotics flights from Manta gathered information behind more than 60 percent of illegal drug seizures on the high seas of the Eastern Pacific last year.

It offers a fact-sheet on the base at: http://ecuador.usembassy.gov/topics_of_interest/manta-fol.html

Correa, a popular leftist economist, had promised to cut off his arm before extending the lease that ends in 2009 and has called U.S. President George W. Bush a "dimwit".

But Correa, an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, told Reuters he believed relations with the United States were "excellent" despite the base closing.

He rejected the idea that the episode reflected on U.S. ties at all.

"This is the only North American military base in South America," he said.

"So, then the other South American countries don't have good relations with the United States because they don't have military bases? That doesn't make any sense."


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: base; ecuador; miami; military
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To: LibWhacker

Fine. He has to pay rent and abide by zoning and other land use laws.


61 posted on 10/25/2007 4:32:32 PM PDT by RightWhale (anti-razors are pro-life)
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To: billbears; VOA; George W. Bush; Extremely Extreme Extremist

We live in scary times. Orwell was prescient, he was just a couple of decades off.


62 posted on 10/25/2007 4:44:36 PM PDT by NCSteve (I am not arguing with you - I am telling you. -- James Whistler)
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To: LibWhacker
"If there's no problem having foreign soldiers on a country's soil, surely they'll let us have an Ecuadorean base in the United States."

His logic is impeccable.

63 posted on 10/25/2007 4:50:30 PM PDT by NCSteve (I am not arguing with you - I am telling you. -- James Whistler)
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To: traviskicks
U.S. officials say it is vital for counter-narcotics surveillance operations on Pacific drug-running routes.

We can't even secure our own borders or put down an insurgence in a country we're occupying, but we can run surveillance operations on Pacific drug-runners. What's wrong with this picture?

64 posted on 10/25/2007 4:53:45 PM PDT by NCSteve (I am not arguing with you - I am telling you. -- James Whistler)
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To: NCSteve

Good for ecuador! Saving US taxpayer dollars when our politicians won’t.


65 posted on 10/25/2007 5:17:54 PM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/Ron_Paul_2008.htm)
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To: rbmillerjr
It’s time we slap one down as an example. Yes I’m calling for military intervention.

So we should invade every rotting third world piece of earth? We should applaud this guy for standing up to the failed and counterproductive US 'war on drugs'; we should condemn him for pursing his leftist policies that are impoversihing his own country. The US has military in over 130 countries around the world, im not quite sure what is being accomplished in all those places.
66 posted on 10/25/2007 5:21:00 PM PDT by traviskicks (http://www.neoperspectives.com/Ron_Paul_2008.htm)
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To: billbears

You misread his statement.

“don’t” and “shouldN’T” meaning, that he does not believe that Americans should be silent about their government.

He then WENT ON to elaborate about what he meant with regard to Carter/Church and the expectations of conducting foreign policy in a certain, unrealistic way.

I’m not sure where you got the idea he was saying Americans shouldn’t question.


67 posted on 10/25/2007 5:22:55 PM PDT by Skywalk (Transdimensional Jihad!)
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To: NCSteve

I forgot to ping you but billbear misread the poster’s statement. Disagree with the rest of his post all you want or let’s have a discussion but billbear clearly misread it as saying something totally objectionable to any member of FR when that is clearly (just read the statement) not what he meant or typed.


68 posted on 10/25/2007 5:24:38 PM PDT by Skywalk (Transdimensional Jihad!)
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To: LibWhacker

Close the base and then close our borders. You don’t need that type of drug interdiction unless the US keeps an open border policy.


69 posted on 10/25/2007 5:48:31 PM PDT by School of Rational Thought (Truthism Watch)
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To: traviskicks

“...http://www.neoperspectives.com/Ron_Paul_2008.htm...";

I understand where you’re coming from.


70 posted on 10/25/2007 7:11:29 PM PDT by rbmillerjr
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To: billbears

Billbears, that was a double negative. VOA was in complete agreement with you, that people should question their governments.


71 posted on 10/25/2007 8:49:39 PM PDT by Quackattack
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To: billbears
I don't think US citizens shouldn't question actions of THEIR government.

I apologize.
I didn't know I was setting a trap by my use of that most improper
form of English, the double negative.

Here is what I should have said to MAKE IT SIMPLE:
I believe US citizens should question actions of their government.

At the same time, I understand some US citizens believe there should
be no government secrets and no covert actions.
Even in a world where a phalanx of foreign powers practice
covert warfare against the USA as part of government policy.

And in this free country, I disagree with that point of view.
72 posted on 10/26/2007 8:10:34 AM PDT by VOA
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