Thursday, August 6, 2009

LATIN AMERICA THREATENED BY US MILITARY BASES IN COLOMBIA

The announcement of the US occupation of more than 7 military bases in Colombia comes at a time when a dictatorship - supported, if tacitly by Washington - in Honduras is consolidating after almost a month and a half has passed since the violent coup d'etat forced Honduran President Manuel Zelaya from power. The increased US military presence in Latin America has been perceived by a majority of nations in this hemisphere as a threat to stability and peace in the region. How does the Obama administration justify increasing the Pentagon's budget and investing almost $1 billion in its Latin American military operations this year?

Well, maybe by trying to blame Venezuelan President Hugh Chávez of supporting, funding and arming "terrorist" leftist groups in Colombia and "facilitating drug trafficking". Both allegations have never been founded on solid evidence. In fact, yesterday, President Chávez gave a killer press conference to international media, deconstructing every accusation presented against his government by Colombia and Washington. The latest allegation involved Swedish missile launchers sold to Venezuela in the 1980s that apparently ended up in the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The Uribe government in Colombia, together with Washington, was trying to blame Chávez for selling the weapons to the FARC, therefore justifying its increasing aggression and military presence in the region, to combat "terrorist threats". "You're either with us or against us..."

Chávez revealed a document - given to him previously by the Colombian government - dated 1996 after a FARC attack had taken place on Venezuelan soil against Venezuelan armed forces and a quantity of weapons had been stolen. The 1996 document detailed the named Swedish missile launchers as having been taken during that attack, more than 2 years before Chávez won office and became involved in government.

"Dirty, dirty tactics", said Chávez regarding Uribe's accusations against him. The Colombian government knows very well that those weapons were in the hands of the FARC well before Chávez became president. So why blame him now for something he has nothing to do with?

Cowardly and pathetic Colombian President Uribe is desperately trying to justify turning his country into the launching pad for Washington's war on Latin America - a war seeking to regain its domination and control over the region's vast natural and strategic resources, and to take out any seed of "socialism" remaining in the hemisphere.

But the military bases in Colombia and the coup in Honduras evidence a dangerous and clear intent of Empire to also crush the vibrant people's movements that have been surfacing all over Latin America during the past decade - revolutions seeking to build new models of social and economic justice.

Latin America is on high alert in response to this revived offensive emerging from Washington. Colombia, isolated in its efforts, is not backing down from opening its land to the vast and barbaric US military power. Where is the outcry inside the United States in response to hundreds of millions - billions - of dollars now directed towards waging war in Latin America? Don't wait until it's too late and another nation, like Panama 20 years ago, is bombed and invaded by US forces in order to secure Washington's long-term control over the region's strategic resources. Act now to resist and protest US military expansion in Latin America and US aggression against a humble people struggling for justice.

6 comments:

mr. barter said...

Obama continues the Reagan tradition:
U.S. drops call to restore ousted Honduran leader

McClatchy Newspapers
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The Obama administration has backed away from its call to restore ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to power and instead put the onus on him for taking "provocative actions" that polarized his country and led to his overthrow on June 28.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/world/story/73234.html

Obama, in his interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal's editorial board, made the case that his movement is as much about a national moment as about him as a "singular" individual, and he drew a rather odd analogy for a Democrat: Ronald Reagan.

"Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not, and a way that Bill Clinton did not," he said, describing Reagan as appealing to a sentiment that, "We want clarity, we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing."

NuestraAmericaNews said...

Long Live Latin America United! Free Puerto Rico and End All Military Occupation in Latin America and for that matter the World. Puerto Rico is used as a satellite in the hemisphere. The U.S. currently has military personal which have recently been sent in to train on American soil. With soldiers who have been to Iraq and fought counter insurgency.

lINK:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/science/earth/07vieques.html?_r=1

The New York Times has just reported about the destruction the military bases that were in Vieques, Puerto Rico have left on the environment. Not only is Venezuela struggling against American Imperialism. But the people of Puerto Rico have been defiant against the Empire. The markings of bombs and the collateral damage inflicted on the Puerto Rican people should sent an example for all of Latin America. VIVA PUERTO RICO LIBRE!

AlachuaGreen said...

The betrayal of democracy in Honduras by the Obama administration will come as no surprise to those who understand the true role of the U.S. government in the Honduras coup and the reality of U.S. policy in the region.

The U.S. peace movement has to wake up and oppose Obama's $1 billion war budget for Latin America, and the bipartisan plans to expand the U.S. military presence in the region.

A nuclear powered aircraft carrier will soon be heading up the operations of the U.S. Fourth Fleet, based in Jacksonville, Florida. Decommissioned in 1951, the Fourth Fleet was reactivated by George W. Bush in 2008 to serve as a platform for U.S. intervention in the South.

The coup is a direct result of U.S. support for the Honduran military, and is ironically linked to the millions of U.S. dollars invested in Honduras by NED, IRI, USAID etc. to "promote democracy."

The unprincipled and duplicitous nature of U.S. foreign policy in Latin America (supported by Democrats and Republicans alike) must be exposed and opposed by all who struggle for peace, justice and REAL democracy.

Stop the U.S. war drive in Latin America!
Shut down the School of Assassins (SOA/WHINSEC)!
Solidarity with the Honduran people's resistance!

Toward a demilitarized foreign policy,

Michael Canney
Florida

Anonymous said...

WAKE UP AGAINST THE DANGER OF THE RISE OF NAZISM OF SARA PALIN AND THE TEA PARTY IN THE U.S.A !

MY FUTURISTIC PROPHECY INSTINCTS TELL ME THAT SARAH PALIN WILL BE ELECTED IN 2012 FOR PRESIDENT AND MICHAEL HUCKABEE FOR VICE PRESIDENT

My nostradamic mentality foresees a very ugly future for America in 2012: Sarah Palin for president, and Huckabee for vice president.

This is a message to all Democrats out there:

Beware of the Republican Nazi Fascist Party. The Republican Lunatics want to stage a coup de etat against the democratically elected President Barack Obama.

That’s why they support the coup de etat against Zelaya in Honduras.

Another fascist far-right militia are the Tea Party Terrorists who are composed of nazi far-right wing terrorists like the Minute Men, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Lew Rockwell, Alex Jones, Ron Paul, Jeff Rense, ultra-right wing evangelical protestants, and most high cupula leaders from the Republican Party like Sarah Palin who is one of the most reactionary nazis in The GOP. She is very dangerous for America.

You people don’t realize the danger that these types of people represent for the world. These people are psychopaths and dangerous. I mean i was real happy when Obama won in these elections. Because if it wasn’t for Obama and The Democrat Party we would be in the Middle of a Nuclear Terrorist Armageddon.

As bad and as terrible as Obama has been, he is less evil than Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin is calling on her facebook for a violent coup de etat against Obama, she said that the US government Health Reform will kill Americans !!

And she is inflaming her evangelical zionist pro-Israel fundamentalist rednecks and ultra-wing pro-gun citizens from the Red States to revolt against US gov.

Just like the Anti-Chaviztas in Venezuela, like the people of Globovision.

.

Anonymous said...

ESTIMADA EVA GOLINGER Y DEMAS AMIGOS DE ESTE ESPACIO DE NOTICIAS:

En estos mismo momentos estoy viendo a una entrevista en el Canal Globovision 409 de Direct TV, entre la periodista ultra-derechista Vicky Davila (De Colombia) y el Presidente Hugo Chavez.

En la cual Vicky Davila temerariamente y sin ningun respeto esta acusando sin fundamentos de hacer parecer a Chavez como un presidente loco y agresivo que le dan calenturas.

El Presidente Chavez como es todo lo contrario de una persona impulsiva, sino demasiado pacifico y pasivo, mejor se sonrio y le dijo que eso es la prensa colombiana la que lo quiere hacer parecer como una persona impulsiva.

Este personaje de Vicky Davila esta totalmente tergiversando la realidad de Colombia. Diciendo que Colombia es un "Estado Democratico" cuando todos sabemos que Colombia es un Israel en America Latina. Es un estado fascista, narcotrifante y terrorista.

Me da una rabia esa Vicky Davila, tan mentirosa a la clara y parece que ella esta bien preparada en terminos linguisticos, ya que tiene el material necesario para tergiversar la verdad sobre Colombia.

Lo que la izquierda Chavizta necesita es mas intelecuales, mas periodistas para contrarestar toda esta gentuza como Vicky Davila que esta engañando a los televidentes.

Gracias.

.

Anonymous said...

A concise and timely article. Thanks.