And the Tide Rises

[Cap'n Jib]

I am providing the following links on crime in Central America. The first is specifically Guatemala, This is perhaps one of the best written articles I have come across and has implications for ALL of Latin America.

When Pablo Escobar was doing his ‘thing’, he could NOT understand what all the fuss was about and why was the US getting involved. It was just a couple of RIVAL business interests (the Medellin Cartel and the Colombian Government) trying to ‘negotiate’ an agreement. Things have not changed all that much!


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-guatemala11mar11,1,7895679.story?page=1&coll=la-headlines-world

The next link covers the migration and border situations with respect to crime.

http://www.enjeux-internationaux.org/articles/num11/en/crime.htm

How the US ‘solved’ the problem.

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/elsalvador/crime.htm

The adaptation process:

http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-central0319.artmar19,0,7425486,print.story?coll=hc-headlines-nationworld

[Lostagain]

It is truly amazing to me that despite our close geographical and cultural connection to Latin America, our government can be so incredibly stupid when it comes to its activities in that region of the world. I would like to think our meddling in L.Am. has been with good intentions, but over and over it seems to be based on brain dead adherence to political ideology, over simplistic views of the complexities of the world, and rabid anti-left reflexive reactions that lead us to support practically every thug, criminal, and terrorist who cloaks himself in the mantle of anti-communism.

The rise of organized crime in the northern part of South America, Central America, and México can be ascribed to the law of unintended consequences, but it happens with such predictability and frequency that I am beginning to believe that it is really the result a deliberate policy to establish narcoterrorist states in the region. I really can't believe that the leaders of our state department and military are really that ignorant that they can't figure out what is going to happen when they support narcoterrorists, dictators, and military juntas; export criminal gangs to L.Am.; and, continue to support economic conditions that ensure a continuing supply of poor displaced people ready to be the grunts in this ongoing cycle of violence . And, as always, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (School of the Americas -- located at Fort Benning, in Georgia), one of the world's foremost terrorist training facility, is right in the middle of it all.

When are we going to learn?

[Sailover]

And sadly, it isn't restricted to just Latin America. It seems wherever the US treads, **** happens. One thing that the government forgets to mention is that if there indeed weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, WE sold them to Saddam back when he was our pal. (something else you don't hear much from DC)

I spoke with a guy from Iraq concerning Sadam's weapons of mass destruction. He said Sadam detroyed them as asked. Of course my question was, "Why didn't he say so?" Well, from what this guy told me, due to the culture, Sadam could not reveal he destroyed the weapons because he would have been perceived as "weak" by the Iraq people.

[Cap'n Jib]

In trying to verify sources and information concerning Latin America I came across to two links of particular interest concerrning Journalists.

The first is Committee to Protect Journalists which provides statistics and background on journalists killed. Colombia came in 4th in the world in 2006 with 39 journalists killed. Mexico was 12th with 13 journalists killed.

http://www.cpj.org/killed/killed_archives/stats.html

World Press has background as well.

http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2648.cfm