First they talked about three bases, then five, then seven and now

[rabs]

it looks like the door is left open to however many bases in Colombia the Pentagon/Hillary may want to use.

The U.S. Embassy in Bogota on Tuesday put out a "Fact Sheet" explaining the pending bases accord with the uribista regime. In it, it reiterated "no new U.S. bases," "mutual cooperation," "bilateral cooperation," "Colombia will be in control" and the rest of the twisted reasoning coming out of Washington to justify the bases.

But in the Fact Sheet, there is this (CAPS are mine):

The agreement facilitates U.S. access to three Colombian air force bases, located at Palanquero, Apiay, and Malambo. The agreement also permits access to two naval bases and two army installations, AND OTHER COLOMBIAN MILITARY FACILITIES IF MUTUALLY AGREED.

(So, if in the future, the Pentagon/State/White House decide they need MORE bases on Colombian territory, it would be naive to think that the uribista regime would say no.)

Then there is this:

Command and control, administration, and security WILL CONTINUE TO BE HANDLED BY THE COLOMBIAN ARMED FORCES.

(Uh, right. Colombian military will be in command and control of U.S. military operations and security for the gringo troops and mercenaries? That will be the day.)

---------------

The presence of U.S. personnel at these facilities would be on an AS NEEDED, and as mutually agreed upon, basis.

(So the U.S. can pour in as many troops and mercenaries as they will NEED down the road?)

------------------------

The DCA does not signal, anticipate, or authorize AN INCREASE IN THE PRESENCE OF U.S. MILITARY OR CIVILIAN PERSONNEL IN COLOMBIA.

(Then who is going to be handling sensitive U.S. operations and equipment at those additional bases? Not Colombians, I would wager.)

-----------------------------

At a technical level, the DCA harmonizes and updates EXISTING BILATERAL AGREEMENTS, practices, and arrangements on security matters, and continues to ENSURE APPROPRIATE PROTECTIONS AND STATUS FOR U.S. PERSONNEL.

(The existing bilateral agreements include immunity for U.S. military and civilian personnel from crimes (including the rape of a 12-year-old child three years ago by two gringos) committed in Colombia. It seems that would not change.)

Fact Sheet:

http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/August/20090819103035emffen0.665127.html

[Downwinder]

1. Fortress Colombia

Like the Saudi bases. Do the Saudis grant immunity? For some reason, I doubt it.

I would think that when you are being used as a whore, you might expect some of the johns to be a little violent.

[IndianaGreen]

5. No shit! Colombia to become staging area for US military attack anywhere

in Latin America.

[Judi Lynn]

6. When they get low on real FARCs to kill we can rest assured they'll make some more,

they way they have already, over and over. False positives.

They need PROOF there's a reason for the U.S. to keep bases there, and to keep plowing billions of U.S. taxpayers dollars into Colombia, and to ALWAYS have that staging area available from which any assault can be launched following any new "Tonkin Gulf" or "Operation Northwoods" ruse is exploited as the excuse to steal control of a Latin American country, since we have already learned the people, if allowed to have democ

ratic, open elections, (WITHOUT paramilitaries down their necks, and even going into the voting booths with the voters, as they do, as per WITNESS ACCOUNTS in Colombia) are voting for MORE democracy, MORE participation by the people, MORE programs to improve lives for the people, etc.

As the Americas become freer, through struggle, the greater the move to re-subjugate the poor, and break them back down to the feudal state they already know all too well.

Bush got busy destroying Iraq, and killing enough people to break their national spirit. Now that Iraq is broken, our Pentagon is going to turn its ulcerous eyes South, and try to re-seize, with "prejudice," the homelands of the people who dared to try to work for a new Latin American Unity envisioned by Latin American heroes hundreds of years ago, under the boot of the Spanish. Break them, kill them, take their lands and dump the bodies into more mass graves, just like the ones the Colombian paramilitaries use, and past fascist regimes all over the Americas.

Can President Obama prevent this, or has he also been bought? We're waiting for a sign of good intent to surface. We're running out of hope day by day, but it's not inconceivable he's got a plan to do right, when it really, REALLY is critically important, even more than now.

And no, none of u

[Judi Lynn]

7. When they get low on real FARCs to kill we can rest assured they'll make some more,

they way they have already, over and over. False positives.

They need PROOF there's a reason for the U.S. to keep bases there, and to keep plowing billions of U.S. taxpayers dollars into Colombia, and to ALWAYS have that staging area available from which any assault can be launched following any new "Tonkin Gulf" or "Operation Northwoods" ruse is exploited as the excuse to steal control of a Latin American country, since we have already learned the people, if allowed to have democ

ratic, open elections, (WITHOUT paramilitaries down their necks, and even going into the voting booths with the voters, as they do, as per WITNESS ACCOUNTS in Colombia) are voting for MORE democracy, MORE participation by the people, MORE programs to improve lives for the people, etc.

As the Americas become freer, through struggle, the greater the move to re-subjugate the poor, and break them back down to the feudal state they already know all too well.

Bush got busy destroying Iraq, and killing enough people to break their national spirit. Now that Iraq is broken, our Pentagon is going to turn its ulcerous eyes South, and try to re-seize, with "prejudice," the homelands of the people who dared to try to work for a new Latin American Unity envisioned by Latin American heroes hundreds of years ago, under the boot of the Spanish. Break them, kill them, take their lands and dump the bodies into more mass graves, just like the ones the Colombian paramilitaries use, and past fascist regimes all over the Americas.

Can President Obama prevent this, or has he also been bought? We're waiting for a sign of good intent to surface. We're running out of hope day by day, but it's not inconceivable he's got a plan to do right, when it really, REALLY is critically important, even more than now.

And no, none of us could EVER keep from gagging when we see the trolls posting their drivel about supporting the U.S. President. If he's actually crooked, their side wins, for now. That's nothing to be proud about, clearly. It's also nothing new. We've had a LOT of crooked Presidents. Big ####ing deal.

One day good WILL triumph over evil, anyway. Just a matter of time.

[Peace Patriot]

2. Vietnam deja vu all over again. That's what this is. It is Vietnam.

This dramatic increase in the US military presence in Colombia is paving the way for an easy escalation of US troops, whenever the "Gulf of Tonkin" they are planning gets pulled off. Colombia invades Venezuela chasing phantom FARC guerrillas, Venezuela shoots back, defending its borders...and hits US troops, or a US plane or helicopter. OR, as in the original "Gulf of Tonkin," the whole thing is fabricated...and we are at war with Venezuela so our corpo/fascists can steal their oil.

This is very, very, VERY bad. We are looking at Oil War II.

[Downwinder]

3. I could feel sympathy for Colombia, but they are going in with

their eyes open. how many countries have thrown US bases out?

Any way, it explains who is funding FARC. The Hucks made a good living off the protection money from Clark AFB in the Philippines.

[rabs]

8. Colombia has about 45 million people

The ones who are going into this open-ended pact with the Pentagon are a miniscule group of Colombians; alvarito, his foreign minister, his defense minister, the commander of the armed forces and his political acolytes.

The Colombian people have not been consulted. Nor the national Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, or anyone else.

[Downwinder]

9. Actually I was thinking

about the longevity of US installed or supported governments. Who put Saddam in office or the Taliban or most of S. America's class of dictators? I would say that another term for Uribe would be stretching his luck a bit. If I were in his shoes I would be checking into offshore accounts.

[Judi Lynn]

4. No one can claim now that they didn't already warn us, eh?

So damned sneaky.

They may as well consider statehood for Colombia by now. This is crazy.

On edit:
We can't allow statehood, because that would put immunity out of reach for the personel!

[roody]

10. Plus the population would want to be fed

and have some health care.

[rabs]

11. Excellent graphic shows extent of U.S. military penetration of LatAm

Puerto Rico, Guantanamo Bay, Costa Rica, Panama (SOA), El Salvador, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, Aruba, Curacao.

Graphic (link at the bottom) is in Spanish but is mostly self-explanatory. Show the vast oil resources, the Parana and Guarani fresh-water aquifers, and the bio-diversity regions that voracious multi-national corporations want to exploit. (click on the Recursos en Peligro icon on the left of the screen. Graphic pinpoints locations of the oil fields, fresh-water resources and bio-diversity regions.

There is also a section of proposed bases of which I was not aware. Reagan sought to install a U.S. base at Tierra del Fuego, Argentina as part of his anti-missile shield. This plan was pushed by Rumsfeld. It did not happen.

U.S. also wanted a base at Alcantara in northeast Brazil (Alcantara is the Brazilian satellite launching site.) That was denied by the Brazilian Congress.

The U.S. also wanted a base at the Triple Frontier region (Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina) but that was nixed
by the three countries. But a joint "intelligence center" was opened in the region in 2006.

In Paraguay, the U.S. did build a massive landing base in northwest Paraguay that can handle the largest U.S. military planes. That base is conveniently close to Bolivia's oil and natural gas fields.

Lots more information in the graphic. Source was Telesur.



http://www.telesurtv.net/noticias/afondo/especiales/bases_militares_latinoamerica/

[Downwinder]

12. Excellent graphic.

Also used to have landing rights at Paramaribo, Recife, San Paulo, and an installation on Ascension Island.