Colombia Walking Tall
By Larry Johnson
Email: larry_johnson@earthlink.net
Site: http://NoQuarterUSA.net
About: Larry C. Johnson is a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, who moved subsequently in 1989 to the U.S. Department of State, where he served four years as the deputy director for transportation security, antiterrorism assistance training, and special operations in the State Department's Office of Counterterrorism. He left government service in October 1993 and set up a consulting business. He currently is the co-owner and CEO of BERG Associates, LLC (Business Exposure Reduction Group) and is an expert in the fields of terrorism, aviation security, and crisis and risk management, and money laundering investigations. Johnson is the founder and main author of No Quarter, a weblog that addresses issues of terrorism and intelligence and politics. NoQuarterUSA was nominated as Best Political Blog of 2008.[1] He has worked as a private consultant on issues of international terrorism and security for the U.S. Government and private companies. Johnson has appeared as a consultant and commentator in many major newspapers and news programs.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Views
2.1 1996
2.2 1998
2.3 1999
2.4 2000
2.5 2001
2.6 2003
2.6.1 Plame affair
2.7 2008
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links
[edit]Background
Larry Johnson moved to Washington, D.C. in 1979 to begin work on a Ph.D. at the American University. Although he completed successfully all coursework and comprehensive exams, he did not write a dissertation. In 1978 and in 1983-85 he worked in Latin America on community development projects as a community organizer. Returning to the United States in 1985 he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, thanks in part to a letter of recommendation from Republican Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) that helped to "open doors" for him at the Agency.[3] Johnson entered on duty at the CIA in September 1985 and was a classmate of Valerie Plame. Every member of that class was undercover. After a year in the Career Trainee program, which included a stint with the Afghan Task Force, Johnson was assigned as an analyst in the Middle America Caribbean Division in the Latin American Affairs Office of the Directorate of Intelligence. He received two Exceptional Performance awards and was promoted ultimately to Senior Regional Analyst for Central America.
Johnson remained undercover in the CIA until October 1989, when he resigned from the CIA and started a new job in the Office of Counter Terrorism at the Department of State. Johnson played an instrumental role in launching the Terrorism Rewards program international advertising campaign (working with Diplomatic Security officers Brad Smith and Michael Parks). [4] Johnson also was involved in a variety of crisis management response operations, including the release of hostages from Lebanon and liaison with the Pan Am 103 families. He left government service in October 1993 and started his own business as a consultant.
After leaving government service, Johnson became a frequent guest on many major television news shows when a question of terrorism came up. He was first interviewed by CNN following the capture of Carlos the Jackal. Johnson subsequently appeared on CNN, ABC's Nightline, CBS, the BBC, MSNBC, the Jim Lehrer News Hour, NBC, and NPR. In December of 1999, for example, Johnson was hired by NBC to serve as its terrorist expert for the Y2000 and was in Time Square with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric ("a lot of fun and the best way to see in the New Year"). Johnson also was hired in January 2002 as a Fox News Analyst and remained under contract until February 2003.
Since 1994 a significant focus of Johnson's consulting work has been with the U.S. military special operations forces in scripting and conducting military counter terrorism exercises. He traveled under orders from the U.S. military to Iraq in May 2006 to work on a short term project.
A registered Republican who supported President Bush in 2000, Johnson became a strong critic of the Bush administration in May 2003 for its conduct of the war in Iraq and, a few months later, for its role in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame.[5] He was also featured in the 2004 political documentary Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism. Since Robert Novak's controversial disclosure of Valerie Plame as a CIA operative in July 2003, Johnson has contributed to public discourse on intelligence matters, often sparking further controversy. He has been interviewed by both the mass media and the alternative media and published commentaries on a variety of issues, including the Plame affair, the controversy concerning Mary McCarthy, and the resignation of Porter Goss as Director of Central Intelligence.
[edit]Views
This article or section may contain an inappropriate mixture of prose and timeline.
Please help convert this timeline into prose or, if necessary, a list.
[edit]1996
In 1996, Johnson noted that terrorism worldwide was on the decline. "Terrorist incidents [both internationally and in the US] have fallen to levels not seen since the 1970s. Whether measured by the number of incidents, the number of fatalities, or the number of groups, raw statistics demonstrate that the level of terrorist violence has declined since the mid-1980s. In fact, the evidence suggests terrorism was more widespread and deadly 10 years ago."[6]
He also wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times suggesting that the newer and more deadly terrorist threat to the U.S. was embodied by "networks of terrorists, mostly foreign, working within its borders." Exemplifying this threat was Ramzi Yousef, one of the masterminds behind the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. In the article, Johnson suggests that enhanced cooperation between intelligence agencies, particularly the FBI and CIA, is mandatory to meet the growing threat of terror networks.[7]
[edit]1998
In 1998, Johnson argued that while overall terrorism was declining, the threat from bin Laden and al-Qaeda should be the focus of American counterterrorism policy:
The nature of the threat posed by Bin Ladin is highlighted by my final chart, number 7. Osama Bin Ladin and individuals associated with him have killed and wounded more Americans than any other group. This chart also illustrates that groups such as Hamas and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) prior to 1998 have killed more foreigners in the anti-US terrorist attacks. If we take into account the bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Osama's status as the most lethal terrorist is certain.[8]
In addition, he told USA Today that bin Laden had participated in "virtually every major attack of terrorism against the United States" in the 1990s. Johnson underlined the threat posed by bin Laden, saying that he was possessed by "hatred and craziness." If left unanswered, "he would continue to terrorize Americans around the world. He has no compunction about killing women and children. He's a complete egalitarian in his murderous attitude."[9]
[edit]1999
In an interview with PBS's Frontline for its 1999 program, Hunting bin Laden, Johnson discussed Osama bin Laden.[10] According to Johnson, Americans had "tended to make Osama bin Laden sort of a superman in Muslim garb." "Actually," he continues, "Osama bin Laden, in my view, represents more of a symptom of a problem, and the problem is this: the Saudi Arabian government, not just Osama bin Laden but many people in Saudi Arabia, have been sending money to radical Islamic groups for years." Johnson continued:
When you look at who's killed Americans in the last 10 years, the individuals he's supported and backed--I'm basing that upon the initial information that's been released in the indictments and conversations with others in the intelligence communities--Osama bin Laden has been the one killing Americans. No other terrorist group in the world has been out killing Americans except for Osama bin Laden.... Osama bin Laden remains out there as the one really targeting us. So, we recognize that he's the threat. He's serious about wanting to kill Americans, but as long as he's in Afghanistan, as long as he doesn't have access to a cell phone, as long as he can't just hop on a plane and travel wherever he wants without fear of being arrested, his ability to plan and conduct terrorist operations is extremely limited. We have to recognize [that] he would like to do a lot of damage. He would like to kill Americans, but wanting to is different from being able to, having the full capabilities in place.[11]
In the interview, Johnson doubted the ability of members of bin Laden's organization to plan and put their lives on the line:
There's not another Ali or Mustafa out there at this point and Osama bin Laden in my view has not been a very effective organizer or leader. He talks a great game and puts out terrific threats as far as stirring the passions in the United States and maybe firing up the imaginations of some young Muslims throughout the world. But when push comes to shove, can he get a group of people who are together who will say: we are going to plan an operation, we're going to put our lives on the line, we're going to go out and try and kill people and we don't care what the consequence is? It hasn't happened.[12]
Frontline asked:
[Is it] ... fair to say what you're saying is that the president of the United States, his national security advisor, his deputy national security advisor for counter-terrorism, are basically blowing smoke [about the danger posed by bin Laden] and his followers]?
Johnson responded:
They're grossly exaggerating the problem. They are hyping it. They shouldn't be talking about rising terrorism. Instead of saying "terrorism's rising," it's not. "Terrorism is spreading," it's not. "More people are dying from terrorism," not the case. But what they should be saying is, "There's one individual out there that really doesn't like us, and he's made it his mission in life to kill Americans, and we've gotta deal with him." But we need to have a voice of reason in that process instead of putting ourselves out crying wolf, because this is essentially what's taking place right now. They call it the administration that cries wolf.[12]
[edit]2000
Johnson co-authored an article in 2000 with Milt Bearden which focused on the threat posed by al-Qaeda specifically, rather than terrorism trends in general. Beardon and Johnson note that new information emerging about the bombings at Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 points to the threat posed by Imad Mugniyah and Osama Bin Laden will require "a coordinated policy that will employ a full range of covert, clandestine, diplomatic, and military operations," concluding:
The Clinton Administration has shot its bolt on the terrorist problem with small effect, and no last minute show of force will change the record. A new administration can start afresh with a more sharply defined set of terrorism goals – Mughniyeh and bin Laden and their protectors for starters – and bring the full, coordinated force of American diplomatic, military, and intelligence capabilities to bear on the problem.[13]
[edit]2001
After Johnson's testimony to the special forum at the U.S. Senate, Gary J. Schmitt, executive director and CEO of the Project for the New American Century, refers in the Daily Standard (blog) to an op-ed piece Johnson wrote two months prior to the 9/11 attacks, claiming that Johnson argued that the US had little to fear from terrorism.[14]
In an editorial entitled "The Declining Terrorist Threat," published in the New York Times on 10 July 2001, Johnson says:
Judging from news reports and the portrayal of villains in our popular entertainment, Americans are bedeviled by fantasies about terrorism. They seem to believe that terrorism is the greatest threat to the United States and that it is becoming more widespread and lethal. They are likely to think that the United States is the most popular target of terrorists. And they almost certainly have the impression that extremist Islamic groups cause most terrorism.... None of these beliefs are based in fact.... While terrorism is not vanquished, in a world where thousands of nuclear warheads are still aimed across the continents, terrorism is not the biggest security challenge confronting the United States, and it should not be portrayed that way.[15]
Ten days after the 9/11 attacks, after quoting the above passage, Timothy Noah concludes a post in his "Chatterbox" feature at Slate: "Johnson's analysis, we now see, was bold, persuasive, and 100 percent wrong."[16] Johnson defended himself against such attacks:
The rightwing is resurrecting an op-ed I wrote in July 2001. I stand by the full article. It is still relevant today. I am accused, incorrectly, of ignoring the threat of terrorism. In fact, I correctly noted that the real threat emanated from Bin Laden and Islamic extremism. President Bush, for his part, ignored the CIA warning in August 2001 that Al Qaeda was posed to strike inside the United States.[17]
After September 11, Johnson appeared several times on FOX News to address the question of military action against terrorism. On 14 November, he defended the FBI's proposal to interview 5,000 students in the U.S. suspected of having information relevant to the September 11 investigations:
I think they should talk to everyone that they feel they have a need to talk to. I mean, look, this is war. This is not a legal proceeding. This isn't the O.J. Simpson trial. The folks that attacked us -- they murdered Americans. And we've got to recognize that in wartime, we should do things differently.[18]
[edit]2003
In January 2003, Johnson wrote an analysis of the relationship between the upcoming U.S. invasion of Iraq and the threat of transnational terrorism. According to Johnson, Bremer's response was to tell him that "it didn't matter what Saddam did or didn't do, we were going to war."[19] The paper warned that an invasion would "do little to destroy the infrastructure of radical Islamic terrorism responsible for the 9-11 attacks." Noting that Saddam Hussein's regime has been a longtime supporter of regional terrorist organizations such as the PLO, Johnson examines contacts between Saddam Hussein and transnational terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda:
There is no doubt that Iraq is a state sponsor of terrorism—i.e., a country that provides financial support, safe haven, training, or weapons and explosives to groups or individuals that carry out terrorist attacks. . . . According to Central Intelligence Agency data, there is no credible evidence implicating Iraq in any mass casualty terrorist attacks since 1991. . . .
Johnson notes that the period immediately leading up to 2003 saw a rise of activity surrounding terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, suggesting that "Iraq is willing to help a movement that it would otherwise oppose on ideological grounds. Nonetheless," Johnson concludes, "it is important to understand that Iraqi entreaties to Al Qaeda, are most likely intended as a tactic to bolster Iraq’s ability to fight off a U.S. invasion rather than a deep-seated theological and ideological commitment to the terrorist agenda of Bin Laden.[20]
In that analysis Johnson also warns that the U.S.-led invasion was likely to backfire:
In fact there is a serious risk that a U.S. led war against Iraq may crystallize the diffused anger in the Arab and Muslim world — a heretofore unattained goal of bin Laden and his followers — and persuade more Muslim youths to take up the terrorist banner against America and her citizens.... If we decide to invade Iraq we must be prepared for the contingency that our attack will inspire young Muslims to pursue jihad against the West in general and the United States in particular. Just as the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan rallied many Muslims, especially young adults to the cause of jihad, a U.S. attack may enable Islamic extremists to attract new followers.[20]
Johnson also gave interviews on the topic of what to do with captured al-Qaeda leaders; while he did not condone torture, he suggested that a "sleep deprivation and reward system" might be useful for getting information from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed:
I don't see a constitutional right to have eight hours of sleep. You shouldn't subject someone to freezing but they don't get to wear mink coats, either.[21]
In May 2003, Johnson joined members of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) in condemning the manipulation of intelligence for political purposes:
It is a misuse and abuse of intelligence. The president was being misled. He was ill served by the folks who are supposed to protect him on this. Whether this was witting or unwitting, I don't know, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.[22]
[edit]Plame affair
After Robert Novak wrote a column identifying the wife of former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson as a CIA officer, the media invited Johnson to comment on the ensuing scandal because he had been a member of the same Career Trainee class with Valerie Plame Wilson. For example, in October 2003, he appeared on Democracy Now to discuss the Plame affair. He told interviewer Amy Goodman that Valerie Wilson's cover should have been respected whether she was an "analyst" or a "cleaning lady": "if she's undercover she's undercover, period. If the media allows themselves to get distracted with those kinds of curve balls, they ignore the issue."[23]
He told a Senate Democratic Policy Committee in October 2003, "My classmates and I have been betrayed. Together, we have kept the secrets of each other's identities a secret for 18 years. Each and every one of us have kept that secret, whether we were in the CIA, in other government service or in the private sector. But this issue is not just about a blown cover. It is about the destruction of the very essence, the core of human intelligence collection activities: plausible deniability, apparently, for partisan domestic political reasons."[24]
Johnson testified at a special joint hearing of Congressional and Senate Democrats on 22 July 2005 about the consequences arising from the Plame affair.[25]
[edit]2008
In 2008, Johnson emerged as a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton and a strong critic of Barack Obama. Larry Johnson's blog, NoQuarterUSA, became a rally point for Clinton supporters wary of Barack Obama's qualifications to be president. Supporters of Barack Obama insist that a story that first appeared on Johnson's blog--a report that Republican operatives have a tape of Michelle Obama making racially insenstive comments about caucasians--has been "refuted" Barack Obama's Fight the Smears website.[26]. However, Johnson never claimed to have the tape and reported that the Republican operatives controlling it intended to release the tape sometime after the Democratic Convention in August 2008. On October 21, however, he asserted that the operative in possession of the tape had been instructed by the McCain campaign not to release it.[27]
[edit]Notes
^ http://2008.weblogawards.org/polls/best-political-coverage/
^ Larry C. Johnson, "About Me," No Quarter (personal blog).
^ "Former CIA Official Larry Johnson Delivers Democratic Radio Address," transcript posted on official Democratic National Committee's website for The Democratic Party, July 23, 2005], accessed November 21, 2006.
^ Interview with Larry Johnson, confirmed by his supervisor
^ "Ex-CIA official Blasts Bush on Leak of Operative's Name: Democrats' Radio Address Focuses on White House Aides' Role," CNN July 23, 2005, accessed November 21, 2006.
^ Gail Russell Chaddock, "Why Terrorists Pick On the French," Christian Science Monitor (5 December 1996) p. 1.
^ Larry Johnson, "Terrorists Among Us," New York Times (20 August 1996) p. A19.
^ Terrorism Today
^ Lee Michael Katz, "The Hunt for Bin Laden," USA Today (21 August 1998) p. 1A.
^ See Transcript of original interview with Larry C. Johnson, as broadcast on Frontline in 1999. Cf. "Interview: Larry C. Johnson," for Hunting bin Laden, transcript of interview broadcast on Frontline subsequently on 13 April 2001. See also dedicated PBS webpages for media links: Iraq and the War on Terror, Frontline PBS, online featured programs, accessed 19 November 2006.
^ frontline: hunting bin laden: interviews: larry c. johnson | PBS
^ a b [1].
^ As posted in [2].
^ Gary Schmitt, [ 07/25/2005 "Meet Larry Johnson: The CIA official Turned Democratic Spokesman Has a Pre-9/11 Mindset," Daily Standard (blog), July 25, 2005, accessed November 20, 2006.
^ *Larry C. Johnson, "The Declining Terrorist Threat," The New York Times 10 July 2001: A19.
^ Timothy Noah, "(Not Exactly a) Whopper of the Week: Larry C. Johnson," Chatterbox: Gossip, speculation, and scuttlebutt about politics (blog), hosted by Slate September 21, 2001, accessed November 20, 2006. Note the full context of this quotation:
It is, to be sure, a little bit cheap (and slightly at odds with the usual parameters of this feature) to criticize someone for making an erroneous prediction, particularly after a tragedy. Chatterbox is especially reluctant to tag Johnson because Johnson's op-ed was argued forcefully, backed up meticulously with factual data, and bravely at odds with conventional wisdom at the time of its publication. Add in that Johnson now makes his living as a consultant to corporations about terrorism, and therefore had everything to gain by exaggerating the dangers terrorism poses, and the guy practically looks like a hero. Chatterbox, who two decades ago was an editor for the New York Times op-ed page, would have published Johnson's piece had he still been an editor there this past July. In his capacity at Slate, Chatterbox might well have written up Johnson's prediction, and perhaps even endorsed it.
But boy, is he glad he didn't! Johnson's analysis, we now see, was bold, persuasive, and 100 percent wrong. Sadly, a mistake this embarrassing cannot be ignored. As a fellow skeptic, Chatterbox in all sincerity wishes Johnson better luck next time.
^ Larry C. Johnson, "Johnson vs. President Bush," re-posted and updated by SusanHu at DailyKos (blog) July 25, 2005.
^ FOX News Interview with John Garrett (14 November 2001) Transcript #111405cb.260.
^ [3].
^ a b Larry C. Johnson, "Setting the Record Straight on Iraqi Terrorism," posted in Booman Tribune: A Progressive Community (personal blog) 27 January 2003. accessed 19 November 2006.
^ Qtd. in Toby Harnden, "CIA 'pressure' on al-Qa'eda chief," The London Telegraph 5 March 2003: 16.
^ Qtd. in Nicolas D. Kristof, "Save Our Spooks," The New York Times 30 May 2003:A6.
^ Democracy Now (3 October 2003)[4]
^ U.S. Senate, Democratic Policy Committee Meeting on the CIA Operative Leak, (24 October 2003).
^ Letter to the Senate.[Needs full source citation; see "References" section.]
^ Tumulty, Karen (2008-06-12). "Will Obama's Anti-Rumor Plan Work?", Time Magazine. Retrieved on 20 June 2008.:"a story that apparently first made a big splash on the Internet in late May in a post by pro-Hillary Clinton blogger Larry Johnson"
^ Whitey Tape, API, Phil Berg, and Andy MartinSee Authors Posts (1090) on July 3, 2008 at 12:47 AM in Current Affairs
Colombia struck a dramatic blow against terrorists on Wednesday in pulling off a dramatic rescue of 15 hostages held by the FARC (Revolutinary Armed Forces of Colombia), an aging communist insurgency that is behaving more like a Japanese soldier lost in the jungle who did not get the word that World War II was over. Three Americans, which included former U.S. soldiers who served in Special Operations units, were among the freed captives. These men had been held for over five years.
Here’s the Washington Post account:
Colombia’s military yesterday rescued the most prominent of several hundred hostages held by Marxist rebels, a group of 15 that included the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three American Defense Department contractors who had been imprisoned in remote jungle camps since 2003.
In what Colombian officials called an elaborate ruse, commandos deceived a rebel unit entrusted with the prized hostages into turning them over in a grassy field deep in southeastern Guaviare province. The prisoners, who included 11 Colombian soldiers, were then flown to freedom in what amounted to a powerful blow to a fast-waning insurgency.
By late afternoon, the hostages were transported to the main military air base in Bogota, the Colombian capital, where they were reunited with relatives as a military band played the national anthem.
Read the rest here.
I would not be surprised to learn in coming days that the CIA played a role in helping the Colombians pull this off, but at the end of the day the Colombians and their President, Alvaro Uribe, deserve the credit and the bragging rights. Uribe has been a strong, decisive leader who has gone after the extremes on both the right and the left. This is not good news. This is great news. I am happy for the families who are celebrating the safe return of their loved ones tonight.
(small, medium and large sizes; for both dogs and cats)
+ 
We could have traded Obama, Dean and Brazille nut for them easily.
You forgot Pelosi.
Obama, Dean, Brazile, and Pelosi … do you have a grudge against Colombia that you would do something like that to them?
Has anyone followed up on possible connections between Obama and FARC? Or what if any links were found on those captured laptops. The ones who mentioned a presidential candidate who favored them?
So fortuitous that McCain just happened to be happening upon Columbia on that same day.
Well, why rescue them. Why make it fortuitous for McCain. Let their family suffers
I wish you people followed news. He was GONE when it occurred. He received the news when he was in the air. Do you think (there’s the root question) he would want to be upstaged by such fabulous world wide news? Geez. Get a grip. I guess that means that you sure don’t want the war in Iraq to end if BoBo the clown happens to be in Baghdad, do you?
McCain was briefed the evening before he left by Uribe and staff. After he left, and was in the air heading to Mexico, Uribe contacted him and informed him of the success of the mission. I think it speaks volumes that Uribe didn’t call Obama and appraise him of the situation. Maybe he called and Obama refused to talk to him. Maybe Uribe didn’t call because he thought Obama would call the NY Times and leak the information. I don’t know and don’t care. Main thing is the 15 got out alive.
It’s Colombia. Columbia is the capital of South Carolina. If you’re going to comment on something, then at least be informed enough to know how to spell it.
Maybe now the House can get around to ratifying the Columbian Free Trade Agreement instead of burying it from reaching the floor for debate. Pelosi has acted despicably on this important treaty. Columbian good already enter into the US duty free. This treaty will remove duties on US exports to Columbia making US products more competitive.
If Congress is serious about showing support for Latin America and maintaining healthy, democratic and productive economies, then they will get off their collective asses and ratify this treaty, instead of letting Pelosi’s partisanship do damage to the democratic and economic gains Columbia has made in the past few years. Are the Congressional democrats so enamored of the declining economy and increasing socialization of Venezuela that they would let their hatred of Bush derail a promising bright spot for the US in the southern hemisphere?
Obama opposes trade with Colombia but wants trade with Cuba
youtube.com/watch?v=cZ3SVok9g34&eurl=http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/04/obama-trade-with-cuba-good-trade-with.html
Free trade is wrong for so many reasons (though agreements or treaties between sovereign nation states certainly need not be).
Uribe was cornered into signing in early 2006 the agreement opposed by the majority of his fellow citizens. Imminent expiration of a preferential tariff arrangement was the factor U.S. negotiators used to force Free Trade Pact signing by Uribe.
It put 2,500,000 rural jobs at risk, threatening thereby a surge in narcotics production and membership in the ranks of the FARC narcoterrorists. It probably also pushed the nation into participating in the biofuel fraud, which Uribe supports with absurd political rhetoric.
But I’m not up on the current situation and don’t have time to check right now.
Free trade is right for so many reasons. Free trade makes the most efficient use of capital, labor and markets. The United States itself is founded on free trade as the Constitution prohibits levies on goods transported between the sovereign states forming the federal union. Trade barriers cause market distortions, economic contraction and loss of jobs.
Witness what happened after passage of the Smoot Hawley Act imposing punitive tariffs on imports under the theory that it would create more domestic jobs to get the US out of a recession. Our trading partners also raised their tariffs effectively blocking exports of US goods. Recession deepened, capital markets dried up and unemployment shot to 25% of the workforce, and something we now cause the Great Depression ensued.
The EU, China and US respectively have annual exports of $1.30, $1.22 and $1.14 TRILLION of as of 2007. Free trade works.
Notwithstanding the benefits of trade when appropriate labour and environmental protections are enforced, the model is based on the naive presupposition of perpetual peace.
Trade builds dependencies and denudes self-sufficiency. It sows the seeds of future conflict. For example, 2600 years ago, K’ung Fu-tse (Confucius) responding to a question about how to create a great state, said the “Higher Men… would avoid foreign relations as much as possible, and seek to make the state so independent of foreign supplies that it would never be tempted to war for them (Durant, 1935).”
Pre-historically and historically the norm is conflict, some of which is scarcity driven. Given the reality of increasing global population and decreasing resources, the inevitability of conflicts is inescapable. Countries that lack an industrial base will fall to those like China, which have designed their industries to be dual purpose so that they can readily be used for war production.
90% of agricultural production worldwide is now controlled by five mega-cartels. Very efficient.
World hunger and poverty are increasing. Very efficient.
“In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, in order to contribute something to solve overpopulation.” Very efficient.
British free trade policy caused the genocide of 2 million of the 8 million Irish subjects in four years during the curiously mis-named “potato famine.” Very efficient. (They had plenty of food–it was all exported under armed guard in the name of “free trade,” otherwise known as profit for the market speculators. Very efficient.
The United States was created as the first revolution against the establishment of the British Empire (the empire of the British East India Company) established in 1763 by the Treaty of Paris cooked up to insure the Anglo-Dutch Liberal system of imperialism could prevail. The founders of our Constitution weren’t into working for them on a plantation here on the other side of the Atlantic. Protectionist measures (against the British Empire) allowed us to develop our own industry and economy instead of having everything ripped off by them–like Africa is being ripped off.
2005, David Rockefeller, “It would have been quite impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national autodetermination practiced in past centuries.”
Very efficient.
Nazi work camps / death camps were “very efficient” too.
The kindest thing one can say about “globalization” is that it’s not working. And more and more citizens and leaders of under-developed nations are voicing that fact.
axiomatic presumptions which, in fact, can be found only in a non-existent, “ivory tower” universe.
You bet your sweet britches they do!
Watching the videos of the families sharing their joy and happiness upon hearing the news of the hostages release was SO uplifting and gave me chills. Having lost my own Dad forever in a fiery trucking accident years ago, I KNOW the children of the hostages are floating on cloud nine now that they have their parents back. I can’t help but just keep smiling for them.
I can just imagine the sheer joy the hostages felt on that helicopter when they realized they were free. Especially as we move into one of our nation’s most revered holidays. Independence Day…has a WONDERFUL ring to it, doesn’t it?
Of course, the men deserve commendation for their strong will and stamina, but as a woman I am so SO proud of Ingrid Betancourt. To have endured all she endured for so long…WHAT an inspiration she is for women everywhere!
This news made my day.
Glad you brought this vital timely subject to attention. Following the underlying threads of terrorist leader meetings recently:
Richardson went to meet with Chavez on his some turf last month. Only found one Carib news clip that this even happened. Could ask - what the hell is the Gov of New Mexico doing - going to meet with a terrorist anti-American - and what gives him the right to do so?! bozo sent him, obviously.
Not long after Chavez went to Cuba to meet with Castro. A FOX banner on this, not much more attention.
Then, this week Chavez tirading to Central and South American leaders how the US is really their enemy and they need to gang up against us.
In the midst of all this, Cuba making an OIL DRILLING deal with China, not far off the coast of FLA - where we ourselves won’t drill though we could - and our Congress has ducked the issue of off-shore drilling by taking off for their summer vacations - in the midst of rising gas prices taking the economy down.
Also, as pointed out above, dumb Dems blocked trade agreement with Columbia - which sure makes us look like xxxx to the leaders Chavez is aiming to organize as a Latin America block against us.
Among other things, what DOES THIS SAY about Richardson’s messenger service meeting with Chavez- for obama? What did Richardson say to Chavez that got carried to Castro in Cuba? How did this fit in with Cuba working with China on oil drill right after these meetings? And Chavez organizing the whole south of the border against us?
How can I, just one citizen, be aware of all this and its impact on us - and our Congress have no more on their minds then evading issues and going on vacation?????????????
ANY left out there who still want to support down-ticket Dems- unless they are among the few strong of heart hanging out for Hillary - ought to be really thinking about all this.
Rant done. Thanks again for the good news on Columbia. May it put some pressure on Congress should they ever get around to getting back in session - and there being any world left to salvage when they bother to do so.
Related Chavez news.
General opposed to Chavez “socialism or death slogan”
released (CNN)
Vivas Perdomo has asked Venezuela’s Supreme Court to toss out the salute, “Fatherland, socialism or death! We will triumph!”
Hours before his detention, he suggested replacing the slogan with a declaration by 19th-century independence hero Francisco de Miranda: “Death to tyranny. Long live freedom!”
http://tinyurl.com/4doxvq
and Columbia detains Venezuelan soldier
http://tinyurl.com/442qzc
Cute by half. Uribe could have released Betancourt months ago. He stopped two releases already in progress. Unfortunately for Betancourt, it was Chavez making the deal possible
She is a leftist and was running for president when she was kidnapped. The Drug Lord Uribe and his paramilitary routinely put bullets in the heads of people like Betancourt. If she runs in the next presidential election she had better get some serious security
She sure didn’t look scared of Uribe and the Columbian military when she was standing with them and thanking them for her rescue and the rebel’s humiliating (her description) treatment of the hostages.
SUSAN UN PC …
Her idea has finally made it to Bitterpolitcz.
Awhile ago Susan said we are strong, we can flyer and put cards with information to let the world know stopping Obarky is imperative.
Help put out flyers to let those who are skeptical about Obama know that the media is not telling the truth.
170 websites are all included on the Just Say No Deal website…….please print these out today and put them in your libraries, hair salons, food courts, malls, your bus stops, Asian food markets…..let the Hillary world know not trusting Obarky means they should come online.
Just Say No Deal, please print and spread.
http://camille424.wordpress.com/more-materials/
Stunning, disturbing, gestapo-type developments detailed over at Larry Sinclair’s site.
http://larrysinclair0926.wordpress.com/
Yea, they are doing this because they know it is true. Although I don’t see how he won’t be able to get a continuance in the morning until he gets a lawyer. They can’t really precede if he is not represented by counsel.
Why do you say that? Larry Sinclair is a habitual criminal and those poor suckers that are giving him money are being conned like so many others have been by him over the years.
That guy is just way too crazy and so are those that post over there saying , “Way to go Larry”, etc.
I hate Obama but Larry Sinclair is a criminal.
How can you people support him?
Go to the Mitch and Nan show http://themitchandnanshow.wordpress.com/ and today they have an indepth article that spells out in great detail all of the crap Sinclair has done and all of the prison sentences he has had. Posters on that show can find plenty of other good blogs and sites that are against Obama and they should do it.
Larry and his so called “Moma” are hardened criminals.
Thought this had a lot of Chavez in it as well. He’s been an intermediary for FARC before.
Though these guys are the brutal extremists McCain alluded to, they kept these people alive for five years?
A lot of stuff doesn’t add up on this, but the fact remains that it is very good news.
These guys just routinely board copters in the jungle? Yet they are antigovernment rebels? They took a left winger for a hostage as a leftist group?
Antigov types who use helicopters(sounds like they work closely with the government to some degree) and they take potential political rivals on the left hostage?
How very Red Brigade of them.
The most plausible explanmation was that she is reported to have Hepatitis B and had she died a captive the political ramifications would have been far worse for FARC.
Previous persons have been released or “escaped” (bribed their way out) and that is where their movement seems to have deteriorated. It’s running short of the items needed to sustain a movement. Thus it splinters into forms of corruption that mirror the drug trafficing and arms shipment deals that are their staple across regional and international borders.
Possible burnback, the disclosure that she was rescued on an NGO false flag. Now such groups may be targeted to the extent it hedges additional negotiations and progress, it could set those back years to come.
yeah just was on huffington post what a bunch of jerks, arrianna tells barack to watch kerry gore and hillary speeches, , first of all gore and kerry and obama are the ones that look like elistis, whether arianna likes it or not, hillary looks like the one who cares about working class,i hope these left wing sites start getting buyers remorse , and start putting pressure on superdelegates to change their allegiance to hillary,cannot wait for whitey tape!!yeah they kicked me off politico. for my viral email against obama.the picture of michelleobama with mrs farakan, and then the video wear obama says white folks, its such a great combination to post those 2 together, well i willhave to change name again son i can go back on pooitico-as a liberal, i do not understand how this guy can win even i have trouble wilth his patriotism, i do not care so much about liberral their are more people more liberal than obama, but they do not carry the unpatroitic baggage that he does with ayer, phleggger, and jeremiah wright!!now had harold ford of ran for president the poartiotic african american from tennesse, and he would have beaten hillary i would not of had aproblem with it, and obama did not even beat hillary!! hell harold ford almost won tennessee, and he would have come withing 5 points of beating hillary in states like w virginia, andkentucky or he might have even beaten her,its the fact that obama is aracist and hates amerrica that people in appalcia have a problem with obama- hell istill think hillary will be nominee hopefully and she can a picka patrioitc arican americna like harold ford jurnior
Harold Ford Jr. had prosecution of family members do his run for Senate in. Not unlike the attorney firings that happened at other times in nearby states.
There’s a reason Sen.Corker doesn’t say a whole lot these days. Granted, most of the Fords were already tabloid pulp for scandalmongers. It should not have weighed upon the candidate to the extent it did.
His family has long ties to mid South politics, including Al Gore. Harold Ford Jr. can often say things so very well, but he’s forced to go with party line or with the wider foreign policy narratives that others want to hear. Had he made emphasis to be more his own person, like the presumed nominee has done, he might have been The One running.
Glad to hear of his marriage, and look forward to hearing well of him in the future, he makes some good points when he speaks.
Harold Ford Jr is a very bright person. I think it was the girls and football remark that shaved of his support.
I was rootin’ for Harold Ford Jr, as Corker…well as his name indicates…
yeah people in states like w virginia, and kentcuky would except harold ford, because harold is a patrioit, and a member of the nra!!why if the democrats wanted to run african american, they should of ran him,instead of obama!!!
I agree, I like Harold Ford Jr and even though I am not African American NOR from Tennessee, I contributed to his campaign.
Harold appears to be very trustworthy and we know his back ground while what we know about Obama is not trustworthy nor honest and his friends and associates have consisted of Terrorists, crooks, anti-semites, racist preachers and an ugly mean wife, not to mention he is a liar about his accomplishments and in actuality has NO Experience.
What great news. I was watching this today….thrilled for the families and for the people who were able to execute the rescue.
It underscores the probelm with the liberal line that Obama has. If only the US was nicer the whole world would be too. He wants to hobble our technology, space programs, and the military. All of which have provided the world with modern conveniences and Tang.
What is childhood without Tang? We didn’t have kool-aid in the house…lol.
Anyway, back on point. The liberal line doesn’t take into consideration that there are psychopaths, sociopaths, the greedy, or power hungry, who probably fill the seats in Congress pretty well. As is the case with other countries. We all see lots of people in those seats serving themselves and not the people they claim to care about.
The world isn’t fair and no matter how much liberals think if the US would just be nice….the world would change. It ignores world history and the fact that psychopathic personalities, countries, or another political party will now feed on the naive and subdued. And Obama is just subduing the masses so his money men can ravage the coffers.
Rather than geniunely fighting the good fight. They’ve proven repeatedly they don’t expect or require results for the masses. The money and the manipulation is the goal.
The FARC terrorists. It seems like the money and manipulation is also the goal, as they sell drugs and hostages under the flag of ideology. An ideology that only seems to provide cheap labor to the leaders, at the expense of competition and innovation of the masses.
A stagnant ideology in the midst of a globalization speed train. That is a recipe for disaster….Obama.
And it seem that he knows it with his desire to slow down America and it’s innovation.
Alvredo Uribe has been great plus of energy to Colombia.
He listen to whitey, unlike Mrs. Obama.
At the end of the day, you still have to ask yourself, how many innocent columbians get their throats slit, just so that the US can continue to be the number one drug abusing nation in the world.
You want to help the columbians? You REALLY want to help them? Support fast track execution for drug crimes in the US. Stab anyone you know who does drugs. Put snipers on the borders to kill anyone who dares to carry drugs here.
All this talk of free trade with columbia is just so much bullshit. Although, what the columbians did here deserves credit, it’s hopeless. There is simply too much money and power flowing out of the United States and into the hands of the most evil people on the planet. All so that selfish Americans (mostly liberals, I might add) can keep engaging in corrupt, self-destructive behavior.
Ummm stab drug addicts? Isn’t that a tad harsh? How do you most drug addicts are liberals? You know all of them personally? You don’t remember the 80’s? I do. It was the buttoned down white collar Wall Street types that were some of the biggest cocaine users. They tended to be Reagan supporters. But let’s feed into the stereotypes.
Wow…you claim self-destructive behavior but now you want to kill people for it?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/01/health/webmd/main4222322.shtml
These are reports of people who did drugs within their lifetime. Do you suspect maybe a college kid away from home might try marijuana, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol which would skew those results higher? Because that report has 74% having tried tobacco is quite high. While the % of smokers in the US has gone down.
To be fair, the War on Drugs was meant to target those same liberals and college kids and get them off the voting rolls for Nixon. It was Hoover’s idea. So, now you take addiction which is a mental health issue, college experimentation, and a Republican voting tactic, and claim it is worthy of a death sentence?
Nevermind the fact, that some countries have used drugs as a commodity and a weapon….can you say opium? From what I understand drugs are being shipped to Russia, both Columbian cocaine and Afghan heroin. In what seems like a political weapon as well. China, Pakistan, India, Europe have all reported increases in heroin abuse.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8180
http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/5581-11.cfm
http://www.interpol.int/public/Drugs/heroin/default.asp
As far as the comment about the US giving money to evil people. How many normal people do you know that seek high office? There is something already off about people who are politicians.
They sell their soul for the power to control (Obama).
Anyway, drug use is horrible, but a death sentence for someone probably drowning childhood abuse or neglect issues is harsh. Killing US citizens or drug dealers won’t stop addiction here or around the world. And as stated previously, it strips away a tool for politicians to thin the herd, on the global scale, at the polls, and the colleges. Student loans are not rewarded to those with a drug conviction in their background.
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/2008/04/11/column__drug_convictions_should_not_lead_to_lack_of_federal_aid
Too much money and control surrounds drugs…a death sentence addresses none of it.
My best wishes go out to the hostages who were finally freed. They’re going to need a long-term adjustment period, and I hope the media will be respectful of that.
Great story Larry! And thanks for the responses/opinions above. It never ceases to amaze me how well informed the people on this blog are. I can always count on No Quarter to give me an unexpected perspective and details I won’t find anywhere else.
I must confess that I’m relatively unfamiliar with Uribe. I’ll be doing more research on him (and especially his connections with Chavez and Castro) thanks to you.
Larry,
Great story indeed! As a career intelligence agent, this had to be especially pleasing for you.
I can not wait for more follow-up when the INTEL is sorted out - I suspect more on William Ayers and his harpy of a wife Bernadine Dorhn and their long-time assistance to Hugo Chavez will play in this POTUS campaign.
http://hickeysite.blogspot.com/2008/07/john-mccain-obama-wrong-on-columbia.html
N.B. In the early hours I too paced the wrong vowel in COLOMBIA!
Viva Uribe y Colombia!
I am glad that the imprisonment of Ingrid Betancourt and Clara Rejas is over. Their captors may never be brought to justice and their lives will never be the same but I hope being back with their families can bring them peace.
This is a reminder that the “evil that men do” has lasting consequences. Betancourt and Rojas were in a jungle prison for 6 years simply because they were trying to make their country a better place to live. And the implication was that if she hadn’t gone into dangerous rebel territory to ask for the vote of her people it wouldn’t have happened to them. An old familiar refrain to women everywhere. IF she hadn’t done that particular thing….
Not the same severe punishment, but parallel to what happened to Senator Hillary Clinton in a way because of the threats made against her during her campaign. IF she hadn’t dared to invade the male domain to run for president she wouldn’t have suffered all the “slings and arrows”…. Women just never seem to “learn their place”, do they?
Very few news stories make me break out in a wide smile. This one has. Every time I hear it. I had a hunch that the clever plan was perhaps aided by the U.S., particularly given the FARC’s involvement in the drug trade.
I remember, over the years, hearing about those Americans. Sometimes, their families would get to be on television to publicize their plight. I assumed they’d never be free, and might already be dead.
Their freedom is such a huge relief for them and their families.
(A grandmother of one of the men just said that the U.S. government gave “no help, no help at all.” That’s alright. She probably felt that way talking to the usual officials one might speak with. But there are so many Americans who help make things happen but who will never be recognized. Thankfully, recognition isn’t their job motivator. It’s doing the right thing as well as helping their country.)
I agree….there are a lot people who serve in the military and govt expecting no recognition just the honor of trying to make a difference.
Then there are the politicians who make govt work look like a dirty job and dishonor those same people.
Uhh, Uribe’s own ties to the drug trade is well-known.
Sorry, are well-known.
This was another unilateral prisoner release by FARC, after FARC was called upon by Chávez to release prisoners and following a FARC’s track record of unconditional prisoner releases earlier this year. The Colombian military fabricated it into a rescue operation. The complicit western media, especially CNN,is reporting that the prisoner release today was actually a rescue by the Colombia military.
I think this is Chavez prop at his best. Did not he claim to have arranged a failed release months ago? I cannot believe that FARC takes orders from Chavez. I can also see how the military role of Columbia may have been puffed up.
CNN is likely not complicit- they just get the news from the same places as everyone else- those news wires. I doubt there was CNN reporter there.
I only know FARC from mainstream media too. My school did not teach FARC as my Marxist prof said their model was so outside the other models in Central and South America.
susanunpc; I echo your sentiments.
Mr. Johnson…Hell of a laptop eh?
Please, read further than the Washington Post! It is ridiculous to give Uribe unqualified credit for this. I LIVE in South America and have followed this hostage situation for awhile. A major player in the hostage negotiations and this rescue (both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes) has been Hugo Chávez Frías, President of Venezuela. Uribe was forced into action, because of other world leaders’ (including Sarkozy of France) involvement in pursuing releases.
There is no doubt this will be a boost for Uribe and will help his standing within Colombia after the screw-ups in crossing into other countries (Ecuador and Venezuela) earlier. I’m thrilled for this success, but I would not go for the adulation of “strong …leader”. He has faced recent protests within his own country and has NOT been well-viewed in other Latin American countries.
BTW, Venezuela’s economy has been hard-hit by inflation, not a surprise (though definitely unpleasant) for any oil economy and not different from periods the U.S.A. has gone through. Take a hard look at the current state of the U.S. economy before taking a deprecatory view of those of other countries. ALL of the Latin American countries will have difficulties as a result of being tied to the U.S. dollar.
FYI, Chávez’s current approval rating is 73.9%. I won’t get into the Plan Colombia debate.
This was fantastic news first thing in the morning. Best news I’ve heard in while.
Hmmm, you were in Colombia a while ago, weren’t you Larry?
The Colombian soldiers used unfair trickery. The soldiers wore Che tee shirts, making the FARC guerillas think they were dealing with a bunch of Obama supporters.
It is interesting that when the Colombian military wanted to deceive the FARC terrorists, they included wearing tee-shirts of the favorite icon of young Obama supporters. Although it is not just “young” Obama supporters who are proud of their hero-worship of Che.
See below:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-10-ohio-lethal-injection_N.htm
[...] Colombia Walking TallColombia struck a dramatic blow against terrorists on Wednesday in pulling off a dramatic rescue of 15 hostages held by the FARC (Revolutinary Armed Forces of Colombia), an aging communist insurgency that is behaving more like a … [...]
Nations of Americas On the March Against Britain’s Opium War
July 27 2008 (LPAC)–In the wake of its audacious July 2 liberation of 15 high-profile hostages held by the narcoterrorist FARC, the Colombian government is organizing an anti-drug summit for next week, to which 23 nations have been invited, Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez announced on July 24.
The July 30-August 1 summit on “Illegal Drugs, Security and Cooperation in the Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela,” will be hosted by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The Presidents of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Panama have already confirmed their attendance, as has the Vice Foreign Minister of Cuba. Other Heads of State, Foreign Ministers, Attorneys General, etc., are expected to join them.
The spirit of the Colombian diplomatic offensive is captured by the warning the Colombian Ambassador delivered at the Organization of American States on July 24 to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, the only Head of State in the region still defending the FARC: “Help us bury the FARC’s corpse; don’t bury yourself with it.”
A momentous shift back towards securing peace and development throughout the region has followed Colombia’s July 2 success, the most dramatic of a series of blows delivered to the FARC top leadership over the past year. The July 2 action–which included significant institutional support from both the United States and France, demonstrates that the FARC, the world’s largest cocaine cartel, openly backed by the City of London and Wall Street, can be defeated.
The combination of that FARC defeat, and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe’s announcement three days later that Colombia welcomed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s offer for their two nations to build a regional railway, catalyzed significant further motion towards dumping the British free trade system regionwide. In effect, the informal South American Presidents’ Club has swung back into action, despite the fact that the Kirchners in Argentina–previously the sparkplug of regional integration efforts–have been put in check for the past few months by the
destabilization operation in that country.
* On July 11, Chavez and Uribe, with maps in hand, discussed the great potential of their countries cooperating on developing railroads, waterways and food.
* On July 18, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Venezuela’s Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales announced investments to construct the Bolivian highway portion of a bi-oceanic corridor, connecting Brazilian ports on the Atlantic with Chilean and Peruvian ports on the Pacific, going through Bolivia.
* On July 19, Lula da Silva and Uribe announced agreements for Brazil and Colombia to cooperate on rail, food, and joint industrial projects, and that Colombia had agreed to join the South American Defense Council being organized by Brazil.
* On July 20, Peru’s President Alan Garcia joined Lula and Uribe in celebrating Colombia’s Independence Day, and signing a tri-state agreement to cooperate against the drug trade.
Grant For Security Officers At Schools…
Intriguing idea, but I don’t know if I believe you one hundred percent….
united states government grant programs…
This site covers almost identical stuff… That’s strange……