The Washington Post‘s latest attack on Venezuela comes in an editorial headlined: “Colombia Proves Again That Venezuela Is Harboring FARC Terrorists.”
The editors don’t say why a point already proved needs be proved again, but before offering the new evidence, they recount the old claim that laptops captured by Colombia from FARC guerrillas have clearly established links between the Venezuelan government and the FARC:
That Venezuela is backing a terrorist movement against a neighboring democratic government has been beyond dispute since at least 2008, when Colombia recovered laptops from a FARC camp in Ecuador containing extensive documentation of Mr. Chavez’s political and material support.
The alleged FARC laptop evidence certainly is in dispute. (On March 11 of this year, Gen. Doug Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command, testified before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that he knew of no official Venezuela/FARC links–“We have not seen any connections specifically that I can verify that there has been a direct government-to-terrorist connection”–before retracting his statement a day later after an apparent trip to the woodshed.)
The new evidence? The Post cites a presentation to the Organization of American States (OAS) by Colombia’s ambassador to that body, who said he could pinpoint the locations of 75 FARC camps within Venezuela, and then offered up more concrete evidence in the form of photos and videos. Brace yourselves: The single piece of such evidence the Post editors chose to describe was a photo of a man purported to be a top commander in the ELN–which is not the FARC, but a smaller Colombian guerrilla group–“sipping Venezuelan beer on a popular Venezuelan beach.” So a photo of an alleged official of a different organization drinking beer in (allegedly) Venezuela is proof that Hugo Chavez’ government is working with the FARC?
The last time the media pushed allegations (Washington Post, 2/5/03) that an official U.S. enemy (then, Saddam Hussein) was harboring a terrorist leader (Abu Musab al-Zarqawi), it turned out to be a bogus claim (Washington Post, 4/6/07) that played a crucial role in tricking the nation into war.
So what conclusion would have been drawn if he had been drinking Tsing tao? How about Kirin? Or, horror upon horrors, Coors?
How many right-wing “counter-revolutionary” Latin American military officers have been spotted at Fort Benning over the years? ^..^
How does Washington Post determine that the beer is a Venezuelan beer? Did the Post writer taste it?If so, we must assume the Post journalist is an expert at tasting beer?
Any nation that has terrorist training centers within its borders, supports terrorist or totalitarian regimes, or merely harbors individual terrorists is itself a terrorist nation, and deserves to be an international pariah — unless the training center is in Fort Benning or northwestern Pakistan, and unless the terrorists are Luis Posada Carriles or Tito Constant, and unless the regime is Chilean or Saudi Arabian or Egyptian. THEN THAT’S OK THEN.
The beach were the guerrilla are photographed drinking beer is in Venezuela, very close to Caracas.The goverment of Venezuela keeps saying that the beach is in Colombia. The goverment of Colombia had the wrong beach. The name of the beach is Playa Los Angeles, a well-known public beach between the town of Naiguatá and CamurÃÂÂ.
I personally know that beach and recognized it from the picture. I wrote a post in my blog, the story was taken in an English speaking blog and a reader that was in that beach took a picture of the beach and sent it.
I don’t know if the guerrilla are real, but the beach is and the goverment of Venezuela is not telling the truth.
Here are the posts:
http://cuentosintrascendentes.blogspot.com/2010/07/habia-decidido-hacer-un-post-sobre-el.html
http://devilsexcrement.com/2010/07/28/a-reader-sends-us-pictures-from-playa-los-angeles/
http://cuentosintrascendentes.blogspot.com/2010/07/huesos-patrios-y-turismo-guerrillero.html
http://devilsexcrement.com/2010/07/26/does-venezuelas-ambassador-to-the-oas-even-know-where-playa-pantaleta-is/
Here are the links:
I think one or two anti-Castro terrorists have been spotted on the beaches of Florida.
The Impact of the SOA in Colombia:The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and the U.S. Office on Colombia released a groundbreaking report entitled Military Assistance and Human Rights: Colombia, U.S. Accountability, and Global Implications,which exposes serious problems with the implementation of U.S. foreign military training. Once again, detailed research continues to uncover the connections between SOA/ WHINSEC graduates and instructors with extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations. http://www.soaw.org/about-the-soawhinsec/colombia/3470-the-impact-of-the-soa-in-colombia
From SOA Watch:
The U.S. Air Force and the Palanquero base
In an article entitled â┚¬Ã…“Yankees Welcome,â┚¬Ã‚ the Colombian magazine Semana (October 31, 2009) analyzed the agreement, noting with concern a U.S. Air Force (USAF) document which reveals the strategic interests of the Pentagon in upgrading the Colombian base at Palanquero, one of the seven bases included in the agreement. This article in Semana can be found at http://www.semana.com/noticias-nacion/yankees-welcome/130763.aspx
According to this USAF document, â┚¬Ã…“development of this CSL (Cooperative Security Location) provides a unique opportunity for full spectrum operations in a critical sub- region of our hemisphere where security and stability is under constant threat from narcotics funded terrorist insurgencies, anti-U.S. governments, endemic poverty and recurring natural disasters.â┚¬Ã‚Â
The magazine Semana explains that the document is a â┚¬Ã…“report in which the Pentagon explains to Congress its plans for 2010, requesting, among other things, $46 million to be invested in developing the base at Palanquero. This is the first official document to mention the interest which the U.S. may have in using the Colombian base to help to maintain â┚¬Ã‹Å“security and stability’ vis-ÃÂ-vis countries which are not favorable to Washington.â┚¬Ã‚Â
“Full Spectrum Operations throughout Latin America”
The document, entitled â┚¬Ã…“Military Construction Program,â┚¬Ã‚ was presented to the U.S. Congress in May 2009. It begins with a presentation of the â┚¬Ã…“missionâ┚¬Ã‚ or â┚¬Ã…“major functionsâ┚¬Ã‚ of the project: â┚¬Ã…“Palanquero provides an opportunity for conducting full spectrum operations throughout South Americaâ┚¬Ã‚¦.â┚¬Ã‚Â
Later the document refers to the â┚¬Ã…“current missionâ┚¬Ã‚Â: â┚¬Ã…“A fully functional airfield and ramp is essential for supporting the U.S. mission in Columbia [sic] and throughout the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR)â┚¬Ã‚¦. This project will accommodate transport/supply, fueling and operational aircraft in the AORâ┚¬Ã‚¦.â┚¬Ã‚Â
â┚¬Ã…“A presence will also increase our capability to conduct Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, improve global reach, support logistics requirements, improve theater security cooperation, and expand expeditionary warfare capability.â┚¬Ã‚Â
The Air Force document can be found at: http://www.justf.org/files/primarydocs/091104pal.pdf
For a more complete analysis of this USAF document, in Spanish, see:
http://josemulligan.blogspot.com/2010/07/estadounidenses-armados-en-america.html
What a great journal. I spend hours on the net reading blogs, about tons of different subjects. I have to first of all give kudos to whoever built your theme and intermediate of all to you for writing what i can only describe as an incredible post. I honestly consider there is a ability to writing articles that only very few posses and frankly you have it. The combining of demonstrative and quality content is decidedly extremely rare with the large amount of blogs on the internet.
Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I truly enjoyed reading it, you’re a great author.
I will remember to bookmark your blog and will eventually
come back in the foreseeable future. I want to encourage yourself to continue your great writing, have a nice evening!