Bill Clinton & Plan Columbia

[Oilwellian]

Run time: 09:37 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb6TK1zEVMk   Posted on YouTube: April 13, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: April 14, 2008 By DU Member: Oilwellian Views on DU: 730

 
George Bush wasn't the first president to use mercenaries in a foreign country as a private army for corporate interests. It was Bill Clinton who introduced Dyncorp mercenaries to Columbia.

[Bonobo]

1. You should fix spelling to "Colombia",

[Oilwellian]

2. LOL...oh man

I stepped in it this time. Too late to fix. :(

[slipslidingaway]

3. Washington Votes for War in Colombia...2004

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20041101/weinberg

"The United States has plowed $3.3 billion in mostly military aid into Colombia since "Plan Colombia" was passed in 2000--making it the third-greatest recipient of Washington's largesse after Israel and Egypt. Since 9/11 the focus of Plan Colombia has quietly shifted from a counternarcotics campaign to a crusade against "terrorism." And now the number of US forces on the ground is set to double.

On October 10 Congress voted to raise the cap on US military advisers in Colombia to 800, and raise that on the number of US civilian contract agents--pilots, intelligence analysts, security personnel--from 400 to 600. The measure, a little-noted part of the 2005 Defense Department authorization act, was a defeat for human rights groups, which had been pushing for a lower cap. The new 800/600 cap is exactly what the White House asked for. An earlier House version would have established a 500 cap for military personnel and kept the cap for civilians at 400, but this was rejected in joint committee. A Senate proposal establishing these lower caps--known as the Byrd amendment, for Senator Robert Byrd--was defeated in June by a vote of 58 to 40. Among the two senators who abstained was John Kerry...


The vote comes just as Colombia's hard-line President Álvaro Uribe is pursuing a new offensive against the FARC guerrillas in the south of the country. While US soldiers are ostensibly barred from combat missions, there have already been reports in the Colombian press that US troops are leading "scorched earth" campaigns in the southern Amazon region..."


Roll call for the Byrd amendment

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00140

[Oilwellian]

4. Looks like Hillary likes the idea of a secret war in Colombia

She voted against Byrd's amendment to curb military advisors.

[slipslidingaway]

5. Looks that way, this site lists some other votes on Colombia

since 2000, links to votes and letter by Senator Feingold at below link.


http://www.cipcol.org/?m=20041026

Main page
http://www.ciponline.org/colombia/index.htm


"...A look at votes in Congress makes clear a trend of steadily increasing skepticism about U.S. policy toward Colombia...


The Senate has not considered Colombia as often, and is more difficult to measure. During the 2000 debate on the first Plan Colombia appropriation, this body did indeed act in a bipartisan fashion, rejecting amendments by Democrat Paul Wellstone (11 to 89) and Republican Slade Gorton (19 to 79) seeking to cut military assistance...

The Senate has not considered Colombia as often, and is more difficult to measure. During the 2000 debate on the first Plan Colombia appropriation, this body did indeed act in a bipartisan fashion, rejecting amendments by Democrat Paul Wellstone (11 to 89) and Republican Slade Gorton (19 to 79) seeking to cut military assistance.

Though the Senate hardly considered Colombia over the next few years, 2004 brought signs that bipartisan support for Plan Colombia has eroded. In July, Sen. Russell Feingold circulated a letter to President Uribe expressing several human rights concerns; while the letter gained the signatures of 23 Democratic senators (including Kerry and Edwards), not a single Republican would sign onto it, despite activists’ strenuous efforts to make the letter a bipartisan document..."

[slipslidingaway]

6. Plan Colombia... the movie, links... google, Netflix and youtube

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=54576087422651274


Plan Colombia 1/6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiTzBNXCbJ4


http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Plan_Colombia_Cashing_in_on_the_Drug_War_Failure/70021025?trkid=222336&lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=363074980_0_0

"Ed Asner narrates this documentary about U.S. involvement in Colombia's drug trafficking and civil unrest. The film examines the impact of chemical spraying and military funding and reveals alternate U.S. interests. Features interviews with Noam Chomsky, the late Senator Paul Wellstone, Colombian Presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, Congressmen John Conyers and Jim McGovern, U.S. State Department officials, guerilla leaders and others."


http://www.plancolombia.org/

[Oilwellian]

7. Thank you

You were reading my mind. This is the documentary I took clips from. I of course credited them at the end in hopes of directing people to their work. It's very well done and gives you a very good overall view of what's happening in Colombia. I highly recommend everyone take the entire hour to see this documentary. This is an example of the so-called "trade" the Clintons support.

[slipslidingaway]

8. YW, I watched the video a few months ago and did see your

credit to the film at the end, also I agree that people should take the time to view the film.

We have to know what is being done in our name :(

Thanks for raising the subject and oh that laugh :eyes:

[slipslidingaway]

9. Afternoon kick, 2 more R's??? n/t