Independence Day in Columbia
Americans are celebrating Independence Day today at home and abroad, It is a day to celebrate the Independence America won from England, much the same as India celebrates next month on the fifteenth. Yet for me Independence Day is not July 4th, it is January fifteenth for that is the day George Bush, Dick Cheney and all of their lap dogs leave office. Eight years of Hell my country and the world has suffered from these con artists, liars, arrogant and self indulgent distortions of leadership.
Colombian Presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt's freedom. Not hers alone but the fourteen other hostages who had been help captive by the rebel FARC Army in the jungles of the Amazon. FARC is the South American version of Al Qaeda, replete with bombings and other terrorist activities. They get less press than Al Qaeda, however much of this is because they operate in South America. On the continent Spanish and Portuguese are spoken and written as opposed to English. They are not as global in their reach, but limit most of their activities to the continent of South America, Central America, Mexico, Spain and Portugal. With over 10,000 members they are certainly a significant factor.
Ms Bettancourt was kidnapped while campaigning in the election of 2002 that eventually was won by Alvaro Uribe Velez, a conservative and ally of the USA. There are parallels that can be drawn between The Bush administration and that of President Uribe, both are fighting the war on drugs, Uribe with cocaine and Bush with heroin in the tribal regions of the Middle East. FARC and Al Qaeda are both major players and receive much financing from these illegal drug markets. Growers of both the poppy and coca leaf are anti government and side with FARC and Al Qaeda. Little progress has been made against either FARC or Al Qaeda...... until this week when Uribe's intelligence agencies and the Colombian Army used guile and guts and freed the fifteen prisoners. It is a remarkable story of freedom.
In the nearly six years Mr. Uribe has been in office he (like Mr. Bush) has made frequent boasts that never seemed to come to fruition. Yet he filled his promise to his people this week while America is still waiting for Mr. Bush to fulfill his empty promises of bring Bin Laden to justice "Dead or Alive". Nope, the arrogant "Mission Accomplished" cowboy from the Texas oil fields has not redeemed himself to his people as Mr. Uribe did this week. Sure, he huffs and he puffs alot, but results have been negligible as Al Qaeda grows unchecked. Mr. Uribe's bold initiative sent three disguised helicopters to the prisoners location and his Army's elite force disgised as FARC members "moved" the prisoners to a new location without a bullet being fired. Bravo Mr. Uribe, you Sir are a man of your word, unlike the Bozo we have for a President and his stooges.
Ms Bettancourt was kidnapped while campaigning in the election of 2002 that eventually was won by Alvaro Uribe Velez, a conservative and ally of the USA. There are parallels that can be drawn between The Bush administration and that of President Uribe, both are fighting the war on drugs, Uribe with cocaine and Bush with heroin in the tribal regions of the Middle East. FARC and Al Qaeda are both major players and receive much financing from these illegal drug markets. Growers of both the poppy and coca leaf are anti government and side with FARC and Al Qaeda. Little progress has been made against either FARC or Al Qaeda...... until this week when Uribe's intelligence agencies and the Colombian Army used guile and guts and freed the fifteen prisoners. It is a remarkable story of freedom.
The story is worthy of a film, book or play, it is a beautiful story of independence, panache and honoring a promise. Indeed it took a bit less than six years to orchestrate, but it happened where we Americans are still waiting after seven years. We used to be leaders, now we just huff and puff as the world shakes their collective heads sadly. The major American news agencies are all reporting this with a typical American twist, that "the USA supplied intelligence". While this is loosely true, it is a hyperbole, because what the USA supplied was the same thing we supply all of our allies, satellite images. To make it sound like it was a joint operation is another example of the Pentagon and Bush administration trying to take any crumb they can find and hoodwink the public. This was an all Colombian operation that the US was in the dark on.... just like everyone else in the world was. Unfortunately this is how we treat our allies under the Bush administration, when we should be giving credit where due and earned; we are trying to make a mirage out of a crumb.
Definitely this American can't wait for January 15th to come, Barack Obama be sworn into office and America begin to climb out of this black hole Mr. Bush and company have left us in. Happy Independence Day.
Colombian Presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt's freedom. Not hers alone but the fourteen other hostages who had been help captive by the rebel FARC Army in the jungles of the Amazon. FARC is the South American version of Al Qaeda, replete with bombings and other terrorist activities. They get less press than Al Qaeda, however much of this is because they operate in South America. On the continent Spanish and Portuguese are spoken and written as opposed to English. They are not as global in their reach, but limit most of their activities to the continent of South America, Central America, Mexico, Spain and Portugal. With over 10,000 members they are certainly a significant factor.
Ms Bettancourt was kidnapped while campaigning in the election of 2002 that eventually was won by Alvaro Uribe Velez, a conservative and ally of the USA. There are parallels that can be drawn between The Bush administration and that of President Uribe, both are fighting the war on drugs, Uribe with cocaine and Bush with heroin in the tribal regions of the Middle East. FARC and Al Qaeda are both major players and receive much financing from these illegal drug markets. Growers of both the poppy and coca leaf are anti government and side with FARC and Al Qaeda. Little progress has been made against either FARC or Al Qaeda...... until this week when Uribe's intelligence agencies and the Colombian Army used guile and guts and freed the fifteen prisoners. It is a remarkable story of freedom.
In the nearly six years Mr. Uribe has been in office he (like Mr. Bush) has made frequent boasts that never seemed to come to fruition. Yet he filled his promise to his people this week while America is still waiting for Mr. Bush to fulfill his empty promises of bring Bin Laden to justice "Dead or Alive". Nope, the arrogant "Mission Accomplished" cowboy from the Texas oil fields has not redeemed himself to his people as Mr. Uribe did this week. Sure, he huffs and he puffs alot, but results have been negligible as Al Qaeda grows unchecked. Mr. Uribe's bold initiative sent three disguised helicopters to the prisoners location and his Army's elite force disgised as FARC members "moved" the prisoners to a new location without a bullet being fired. Bravo Mr. Uribe, you Sir are a man of your word, unlike the Bozo we have for a President and his stooges.
Ms Bettancourt was kidnapped while campaigning in the election of 2002 that eventually was won by Alvaro Uribe Velez, a conservative and ally of the USA. There are parallels that can be drawn between The Bush administration and that of President Uribe, both are fighting the war on drugs, Uribe with cocaine and Bush with heroin in the tribal regions of the Middle East. FARC and Al Qaeda are both major players and receive much financing from these illegal drug markets. Growers of both the poppy and coca leaf are anti government and side with FARC and Al Qaeda. Little progress has been made against either FARC or Al Qaeda...... until this week when Uribe's intelligence agencies and the Colombian Army used guile and guts and freed the fifteen prisoners. It is a remarkable story of freedom.
The story is worthy of a film, book or play, it is a beautiful story of independence, panache and honoring a promise. Indeed it took a bit less than six years to orchestrate, but it happened where we Americans are still waiting after seven years. We used to be leaders, now we just huff and puff as the world shakes their collective heads sadly. The major American news agencies are all reporting this with a typical American twist, that "the USA supplied intelligence". While this is loosely true, it is a hyperbole, because what the USA supplied was the same thing we supply all of our allies, satellite images. To make it sound like it was a joint operation is another example of the Pentagon and Bush administration trying to take any crumb they can find and hoodwink the public. This was an all Colombian operation that the US was in the dark on.... just like everyone else in the world was. Unfortunately this is how we treat our allies under the Bush administration, when we should be giving credit where due and earned; we are trying to make a mirage out of a crumb.
Definitely this American can't wait for January 15th to come, Barack Obama be sworn into office and America begin to climb out of this black hole Mr. Bush and company have left us in. Happy Independence Day.
