Reply #1: Color me cynical, but this all looks like window-dressing for the Colombia 'free' trade deal.

[Peace Patriot]

I was trying to cheer myself up, about Obama's intentions in South America, by thinking: Well, maybe some papered-over 'free' trade, with unenforceable labor protections, will prevent an outright military coup in Colombia. A military junta, and elimination of the last vestiges of democracy, would be worse, right? It could be the prelim for the U.S./Colombia war against Venezuela. And Colombia is, after all, a fascist dinosaur, surrounded by democratic, leftist countries, that can't help but influence Colombia eventually, if Colombia hangs onto its tenuous democracy. Maybe Colombia needs a period of middle class development--which raw capitalism can initiate, but not maintain, but which, in turn, can generate demand for better government. Maybe Colombia needs more organized, focused, legal, corporate looting, before they can face the new leftist century. Right now, the main enterprise is probably cocaine and weapons trafficking, a particularly violent culture. They need some cleaner kind of crime, they need to "go legit," so that the rudiments of good government can start getting a hold.

I dunno. Then I think, the Colombia 'free' trade deal is a reward to Colombia's fascists, for slaughtering thousands and thousands of union leaders and others. And guess who's our Attorney General? The guy who defended Chiquita Brands for its four thousand murders. And guess who's Sec of State, and had a paid agent of the Colombian government as her chief campaign adviser?

And I end up just wanting to :puke:.