Bush Appearance Sparks Colombia Protests

About 150 protesters attacked riot police with rocks and metal barriers and ripped down lampposts in Colombia's capital on Sunday, just moments after President Bush landed for a six-hour visit.

[r mckinnis]

150 people? we have bigger gatherings at boat shows or even chili cookoffs. you sure have a nose for news.

[LongIslander]

Why would President Bush even visit ths S**T-hole called Columbia??? I heard on News Radio-88 this morning that Columbia provides 90 percent of the World's cocaine....This was part of his agenda to speak about the "war on drugs"......I find this very laughable. Obviously nothing has changed in decades against the drug cartels in Columbia; are there even three people in Columbia who are also against drugs ??? Even if there were they would promptly be put on the drug cartel's ongoing hit-list...what a waste of time, money, dialogue and US taxpayer's money.

[Brandon Harris]

LongIslander wrote:

Why would President Bush even visit ths S**T-hole called Columbia??? I heard on News Radio-88 this morning that Columbia provides 90 percent of the World's cocaine....This was part of his agenda to speak about the "war on drugs"......I find this very laughable. Obviously nothing has changed in decades against the drug cartels in Columbia; are there even three people in Columbia who are also against drugs ??? Even if there were they would promptly be put on the drug cartel's ongoing hit-list...what a waste of time, money, dialogue and US taxpayer's money.

Colombia is not a s**t hole. Colombia is a very beautiful country.

I am so glad that they protested Bush's visit. I wish I was down there because I would protest him as well. I would also burn the American flag along with the other Colombians who protested his visit.

I support the FARC in their liberation struggle against poverty, oppression and imperialism. Bush wants to exploit Colombia and the rest of Latin America. Those people are not stupid. They can see right through Bush. All Bush wants is to allow multinational corporations to come to Latin America to plunder their natural resources and to exploit their people. Bush does not care about those people. All Bush cares about is corporate interests and capitalism.

Capitalism will lead you on a road to hell.

[Second Thoughts]

Like Daniel Ortega did better for the people of Nicaragua.

[Joe Shmoe]

What else is new?
Every time some american president visits any country there are always groups protesting for this or that.

[get a life]

Maybe I'd better not buy anymore colombian coffee? Some of you colombians seem to pity the enemy prisoners!

[John Jairo Marulanda]

I thought that by now people's idyology had matured and we had stepped into a new century but stereotyping and branding a whole country on the actions of few have shown me how closed minded and ignorant people still are. These comments from America just highlight your ignorance. Look closer to home. If there is no consumer there is no supplier. America has been funding us for years but that money leaks through US lead corruption. I am not supporting the drug traffiking and I know for a fact that the people do not support it but the poor need to eat and the traffickers offer what the government can't. All the money goes back to America through arms sales and payoffs. Few live lavishly while the poor struggle to live. I am a supporter of people with a will to survive and fight. FARC may have also been corrupted and gone astray but its original principles are still valued ones. The country is in problems but then again what country isn't. Bush?? Who would he be if not the son of a former president?
Another American hungry for money. Critisize us all u want, but my people will always stand up and speak out. Its about time u americans did the same.

[Sultan of Swing]

get a life wrote:

Maybe I'd better not buy anymore colombian coffee? Some of you colombians seem to pity the enemy prisoners!

Boycott Columbian Cocain!

[Joe Shmoe]

Sultan of Swing wrote:

<quoted text>
Boycott Columbian Cocain!

If you wanna hang out youve got to take her out; cocaine.
If you wanna get down, down on the ground; cocaine.
She dont lie, she dont lie, she dont lie; cocaine.

If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues; cocaine.
When your day is done and you wanna run; cocaine.
She dont lie, she dont lie, she dont lie; cocaine.

If your thing is gone and you wanna ride on; cocaine.
Dont forget this fact, you cant get it back; cocaine.
She dont lie, she dont lie, she dont lie; cocaine.

She dont lie, she dont lie, she dont lie; cocaine

[Crusher]

People who see that Bush is coming to "help them"
should run like hell. The people of South America
have already learned this. In this country we haven't learned this.

[SKINFLINT]

Brandon Harris wrote:

<quoted text>

Capitalism will lead you on a road to hell.

Well put, Hugo!

[Hellary Here]

Only 150 protesters, they were probably drug dealers

[Vallery]

LongIslander wrote:

Why would President Bush even visit ths S**T-hole called Columbia??? I heard on News Radio-88 this morning that Columbia provides 90 percent of the World's cocaine....This was part of his agenda to speak about the "war on drugs"......I find this very laughable. Obviously nothing has changed in decades against the drug cartels in Columbia; are there even three people in Columbia who are also against drugs ??? Even if there were they would promptly be put on the drug cartel's ongoing hit-list...what a waste of time, money, dialogue and US taxpayer's money.

You're from Brooklyn calling Colombia a sh*t hole...think again.

[MDP]

"The country was otherwise unusually peaceful".

Hold on a moment. I'm U.S. born and raised. I've been to Colombia many times. What most U.S. citizens don't understand is that they are largely CLUELESS to how great the country of Colombia is and how beautiful her people are in general. People like this "Longislander" person are a prime example of the rampant ignorance surrounding Colombia in the minds of U.S. citizens. He has zero knowledge of Colombia and this is clearly evident in his idioyic post. This type of mindset is media-driven and perpetuated one story after another because of VERY FEW Colombian people who are involved in drug production and trafficking and insurgent rebel groups like FARC.

Do you know that Bogota is a city of about 8 million people? How many FARC members are there? About 16,000 in the country. We are talking about a drop in the bucket of the country as a whole.

Back to the quote at the beginning of this post. Colombia was not "unusually peaceful". This is a country where things can happen just like they do in the U.S. and it is by and large a very peaceful society that is not nearly as morally polluted like the society I grew up in here in the U.S. I am much more at ease walking around in Bogota than I would be in NYC, D.C., L.A., and a number of other cities in the U.S. Did I mention Detroit?

Some of you would do well to educate yourselves before you go spewing a bunch of asinine nonsense in forums such as this. Really. You give U.S. citizens a bad reputation as stupid, ignorant and arrogant.

[Capitan Justicia]

MDP wrote:

"The country was otherwise unusually peaceful".
Hold on a moment. I'm U.S. born and raised. I've been to Colombia many times. What most U.S. citizens don't understand is that they are largely CLUELESS to how great the country of Colombia is and how beautiful her people are in general. People like this "Longislander" person are a prime example of the rampant ignorance surrounding Colombia in the minds of U.S. citizens. He has zero knowledge of Colombia and this is clearly evident in his idioyic post. This type of mindset is media-driven and perpetuated one story after another because of VERY FEW Colombian people who are involved in drug production and trafficking and insurgent rebel groups like FARC.
Do you know that Bogota is a city of about 8 million people? How many FARC members are there? About 16,000 in the country. We are talking about a drop in the bucket of the country as a whole.
Back to the quote at the beginning of this post. Colombia was not "unusually peaceful". This is a country where things can happen just like they do in the U.S. and it is by and large a very peaceful society that is not nearly as morally polluted like the society I grew up in here in the U.S. I am much more at ease walking around in Bogota than I would be in NYC, D.C., L.A., and a number of other cities in the U.S. Did I mention Detroit?
Some of you would do well to educate yourselves before you go spewing a bunch of asinine nonsense in forums such as this. Really. You give U.S. citizens a bad reputation as stupid, ignorant and arrogant.

Beautifully stated. It is sad how ignorant many (US)americans are about Colombia. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen! VIVA COLOMBIA!!!

[Brandon Harris]

MDP wrote:

"The country was otherwise unusually peaceful".
Hold on a moment. I'm U.S. born and raised. I've been to Colombia many times. What most U.S. citizens don't understand is that they are largely CLUELESS to how great the country of Colombia is and how beautiful her people are in general. People like this "Longislander" person are a prime example of the rampant ignorance surrounding Colombia in the minds of U.S. citizens. He has zero knowledge of Colombia and this is clearly evident in his idioyic post. This type of mindset is media-driven and perpetuated one story after another because of VERY FEW Colombian people who are involved in drug production and trafficking and insurgent rebel groups like FARC.
Do you know that Bogota is a city of about 8 million people? How many FARC members are there? About 16,000 in the country. We are talking about a drop in the bucket of the country as a whole.
Back to the quote at the beginning of this post. Colombia was not "unusually peaceful". This is a country where things can happen just like they do in the U.S. and it is by and large a very peaceful society that is not nearly as morally polluted like the society I grew up in here in the U.S. I am much more at ease walking around in Bogota than I would be in NYC, D.C., L.A., and a number of other cities in the U.S. Did I mention Detroit?
Some of you would do well to educate yourselves before you go spewing a bunch of asinine nonsense in forums such as this. Really. You give U.S. citizens a bad reputation as stupid, ignorant and arrogant.

I would like to respond to your post. I know I have posted on other threads and you have disagreed with me. I do agree with you on your recent post here.

I went to Colombia in 1997. I had the opportunity to go and visit because I have always wanted to visit Colombia.

Colombia is a very beautiful country. I went to Bogota, Villa de Leyva, Girardot, Chiquinquira, Ubate and other small country towns around Bogota. I visited a couple of market places where people get their fruit and vegetables and tried new things. I stayed with some friends of mine and they showed me around Bogota. It is a very beautiful place.

What also amazed me is the pride that they have in what they own. There may be some poor people there. But, even in the poor areas, the people keep their homes and their yards clean.

Go to a poor area in an American city (and I am not saying that all poor areas are like this), and you will see some people who have junk piled up in their yards and old empty houses that attract all kinds of animals. I never seen any of this when I was in Colombia.

The people there are some of the most friendliest people you would ever want to meet. No, not all of the people are involved in narcotics trafficking or guerrillas. However, my friends there told me that alot of the peasants in areas where they have guerrillas support the guerrillas because they establish law and order there and because they provide social services to the people who live in these areas. The reason being is that the Colombian government does not go in these areas.

The government may not be able to provide for the poor people of Vaupes, Vichada, Amazonas, Putumayo, Arauca, Caqueta and Guaviare departments, but the guerrillas do. They set up schools and medical clinics for the people who live there.

You can criticise the FARC and the ELN all you want. But, please read progressive media and read about what these groups are really doing. They are not brutal killers and drug dealers. They are freedom fighters and heroes to the poorest people in Colombia.

[MDP]

I was almost in agreement with your post. It started out as a pretty fair report of the same experiences I've had on many, many occasions in Colombia.

Your view of what the rebel groups are really doing is distorted though. I don't know what you've been reading; FARC website? Where do your friends live there, in the capitol?

Peasant support for guerrilla groups is fueled by one thing - Fear. It is in their best interest to show support as opposed to being displaced and/or killed as millions of others have, when there is no other available "security" in the remote regions in which they live.

If you want some "progressive" views on the reality of these groups, point your browser to poorbuthappy.com/colombia and check out the Politics and the War section, or if your Spanish is good, then Solo en Español. This website is a public forum where Colombian nationals as well as foreigners who share a personal interest in Colombia, i.e., frequent travelers there like myself or have extended family there, like myself.

Your mention that we disagreed on another topic was when implying that paying their airport exit tax was aid to the counterinsurgency by U.S. Imperialists.

Captain Justicia: Thanks. If only our liberal media groups would get a little educated as well, and report from an educated perspective, we wouldn't have so much ignorance in the U.S. regarding Colombia.

[PeopleWakeUp]

Capitan Justicia wrote:

<quoted text>
Beautifully stated. It is sad how ignorant many (US)americans are about Colombia. It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen! VIVA COLOMBIA!!!

Guys. Take it from a Man that knows full well how the MAJORITY thinks in this country. They are spoon fed nonsense from kindegarden through grad school. They are told lies that range from Cristopher discovering AmeriKKKa (how do you discover a place that is already inhibited) all the way up to "Sadam has weapons of mass destriuction and he wants to kill ALL Americans. They are trained to think illogicallly and insides a box controles by a puppeter. If Bill O'reilly says it, then it must be true (and we all know what an idiot that dude is)That is how they think. So the more logic you speak to them, the more they will ridicule your points. Not with facts but pure fiction, and unfounded claims. I've been to Columbia. It is a beautiful place with beautiful people. The MAJORITY will all ways say things like "you like it so much go live there, or some other asinine coment that holds zero weight. It's not even worth responding to some of these clowns. I do many times only beacause I know deep down I am teaching these samll minded individuals. Sooner or later it will get through their thick skulls.

And to the idiots that reply,
Get some knowledge first. Post some facts and not some off the cuff remark yur heard from Dick Cheney or one of the other devils you learn your history from. WAKE YOUR DUMB AZZes UP!!!!!!!!!! You are the people holding America back. You let go of your ignorant racist veiws and many of the problesm that afflict this country and the world for that matter would cease to exist.

[MDP]

PeopleWakeUp is wide awake. Some of you would do well to listen to him.

[Abe Lincoln]

four score some coke dudes!