Reply #10: There's been a steady stream of Republican congresspeople coming and going from Colombia. [View All]

[Judi Lynn]

I've seen tons of photos of Reps. David Dreier, of California, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, of Florida, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, etc., etc., read articles describing speeches given in Colombia's national assembly by David Dreier and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, not to mention buckets of photos of US Defense Department officials all the way to Rumsfeld and the new guy staggering around in Colombia.

I'd bet the decision to go for many bases was already in place long ago in the Bush administration, and that they came up with this brainstroke as soon as they knew they were losing Ecuador's base, and Paraguay's.

They were deliberating whether or not doing Colombia, or Peru, or BOTH, last year or earlier. I'll just bet the multiple bases scheme was cooked up by Rumsfeld.

As far as some money attached to this plot, I read the other day FIVE BILLION DOLLARS will accompany the implementation of 7 additional locations.

Right now there are oil companies which could be involved in the lobbying, and American companies like Coca Cola, and mining companies based in the U.S., and many others. It's the cheap labor which fascinates them, and the fact they are not required to observe any serious safety standards, or polution concerns, or worry their pretty pasty heads about employee's protection as workers' health insurance, and there's the added benefit of having the death squads at their command to sweep any pesky union leaders off the face of the earth for them so they never have to worry about being pressured to raise the hideous pay level for the back-breaking work they require from their employees.