US Ambassador to Costa Rica Denounced

[arcos]

Source: Prensa Latina

San Jose, Sep 20 (Prensa Latina) Costa Rican Supreme Court of Elections endorsed a denounce against US Ambassador to Costa Rica Mark Langdale, for mediating in the process of the referendum on Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

"Langdale does not work as diplomat but as proconsul and as Supreme Chief of the alliance of the government, multinational companies and media which drive to CAFTA", Deputy Jose Merino del Rio of Frente Amplio Party declared.

After TSE transferred a denounce to the Ministry of Foreign Relations and Cult against Langdale, the parliamentarian deplored the statements to media and the visits of the diplomat to enterprises to defend the commercial agreement.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.plenglish.com.mx/article.asp?ID={5324CFC1-B7E5-4FB1-833E-8AF9BECC30E1}&language=EN

[hvn_nbr_2]

1. That seems to lose a lot in the translation. nt

[Pastiche423]

2. I thought it was just because I'm stoned

[arcos]

6. I don't think that's the case, they just omitted a lot of background...

You can let me know what do you think is missing and I can fill you up. As I said in another reply, I personally don't trust Prensa Latina much because of previous cases of clear misinformation. But in any case, I posted this article because it seems to be ok... We are having a referendum un October 7th on whether to approve CAFTA or not, and the US Ambassador has been lobbying hard for people to vote YES.

[arcos]

4. To be honest, I usually don't trust Prensa Latina...

I've seen a lot of BIG misinterpretations and inventions from them. But this article seems to be right on... what do you think was lost?

[Judi Lynn]

3. arcos, if you hear any more about what Bush has had Mark Langdale doing to ram through CAFTA,

it'd be great to hear it. These guys do all the arm-twisting. It'd be interesting knowing what the hell he has done to get _{George W. Bush} that CAFTA in Costa Rica!

We know he is probably right at the top of the list for American Presidents who have exceeded at meddling in, mucking around the internal affairs of Latin American countries.



Langdale
Here's his Wikipedia which indicates, of course, he's a _Bush buddy/major money contributor:

Mark Langdale of Texas, was nominated June 30, 2005, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to the Republic of Costa Rica. His nomination was sent to the Senate on July 1, 2003.

Langdale, "a frequent contributor to GOP-causes and candidates," was confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and then by the "full Senate on a voice vote Friday," October 7, 2005. "While governor of Texas, Bush had appointed Langdale to the board of the state's Department of Economic Development." <1>

Hotel Investor
Langdale is president of Posadas USA, "a fully integrated hotel company headquartered in Mexico City offering development, construction, management and financing services. Posadas, the largest hotel management company in Latin America, has 10,500 hotel rooms in operation in Mexico, Venezuela and the United States and is publicly traded in the Mexican stock market.

"In addition, he is managing general partner for a partnership that owns and develops hotels and recreational facilities in the United States."

Campaign Contributions
Mark Langdale was listed the 8th highest contributor at $46,000 to Governor George W. Bush and was appointed to the Economic Development Department. --Governor Bush’s Well-Appointed Texas Officials, Texans for Public Justice, October 2000.
In 2000, Mark Langdale was pledged to raise $100,000 for George W. Bush's presidential campaign, which would have gained him the status of a Bush Pioneer. He is not listed for 2004. -- WhiteHouseForSale.org.
FundRace 2004 reports that members of the Langdale family in Dallas and Houston, Texas, and Valdosta, Georgia, donated $26,500 to the Republican National Committee (RNC) and $7,000 to George W. Bush in 2004:
Mr. Mark Langdale, Hotel Investor, Posadas U.S.A., donated $25,000 to the RNC.
Mrs. Bedelle S. Langdale, Retired, donated $2,500 to George W. Bush.
Mrs. Patty Langdale, Homemaker, donated $2,000 to George W. Bush.
Mr. William P. Langdale, Jr., donated $1,500 to the RNC.
Mr. Mark Langdale, Hotel Investor, Posadas U.S.A., donated $1,500 to George W. Bush.
Mr. John W. Langdale, Jr., President, Langdale Industries, donated $1,000 to George W. Bush.
NewsMeat confirms that Mark Langdale contributed $25,000 on December 31, 2003, to the RNC, and $1,500 to George W. Bush on June 3, 2003, for the Primary (Bush-Cheney '04 Inc.).
Texas Economic Development Governing Board
Mark Langdale was appointed in September 1997 by Governor George W. Bush as a member of the Governing Board of the Texas Economic Development.

Langdale is "a managing director of Caprock Communications, which develops and operates fiber optic telecommunications trunk lines in Texas and the Southwest."

Note: Caprock merged with McLeodUSA Incorporated in October 2000:

"The stock-for-stock transaction, which includes approximately $197 million in equity and net assumed debt of $335 million, extends the McLeodUSA geography to four new states and adds 5,200 route miles of fiber optic network. The combined company will provide integrated communication services to 25 states and advanced data services to all 50 states. This acquisition adds Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma to the McLeodUSA footprint for CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) services, as well as 12 voice switches and 17 data switches. CapRock will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of McLeodUSA Incorporated and will operate under the McLeodUSA name."
"Langdale has also served as vice president of Thompson Realty Company with oversight responsibilities for a $200 million real estate investment portfolio including hotels, apartments, industrial and office buildings, and he has also been a real estate attorney in private practice.
(snip/...)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mark_Langdale

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We're waiting, along with you to see what the referendum will reveal (if it hasn't been already arranged by big business Republican interests, like our elections!).

[arcos]

5. Langdale has been lobbying hard to get CAFTA approved...

He's been doing "informational activities" along with Costa Rican government authorities (the "information activities" part is the thing that got Vicepresident Kevin Casas in hot water, by the way), in big companies and convincing businessmen to donate money to the YES campaign.

Some people have even called him "YES's campaign manager"... although I personally think this is not true (and not because they're not capable of doing it, but because the YES already has the big money, the big ad agencies, the big talking heads, etc, so they really don't need a foreign campaign manager), he has been certainly involved in Costa Rican politics in an unacceptable and illegal way. It kind of reminds me of the Nicaraguan and Bolivian US Ambassadors getting heavily involved in the last election, asking people to vote against their own interests.

Langdale has been a frequent guest in Oscar Arias's home, and a frequent guest to meetings and speaker in pro-CAFTA activities.

Personally, I don't think anything will come out of this, but in any case it is a good step that not only his participation was questioned, but that an investigation has been open.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. That is pretty bad when you can piss of Costa Rica.

[Robbien]

8. Did you see that the US is giving CAFTA $2 million

the article says it is going to be used for labor rights. Now why don't I believe that.

US government announces $2 million contribution for CAFTA-DR
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/news-3539--18-18--.html

WASHINGTON, USA: A $2 million grant approved by the United States will go towards supporting a comprehensive programme of labour rights projects in six partner countries that are party to the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-Dominican Republic) signed with the United States.

To be implemented by the Organization of American States (OAS)-affiliated non-profit Trust for the Americas, jointly with the OAS Department of Social Development and Employment, the 24-month initiative involves Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

. . .

Among other objectives, the $2 million initiative targeting the six CAFTA-DR countries will help raise awareness and understanding among workers regarding their rights under current labor laws and how to claim them; build capacity of both worker and employer organizations engaged in compliance issues; and build the advocacy and technical capacity of civil society organizations, including labor and human rights NGOs, labor rights attorney and public policy advocacy organizations.



More likely this money is being used to wage a propaganda program against workers IMO