U.S. Role in Colombia Assaults Human Rights
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Re “Pastrana Signs Law Widening Military’s Role,” Aug. 17: How painfully ironic that just as Congress is deciding whether to give the Colombian military hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, President Andres Pastrana is paving the way for greater military abuse. It is unthinkable that the authority of the American military would supersede that of governors or mayors in this country or that we would allow our military to detain and question suspects for undetermined amounts of time. Why, then, should our tax dollars go to undermine democracy in Colombia? I hope that California senators and representatives in Congress will heed this warning.
After 40 years of civil war, the people of Colombia don’t need more money for weapons and military training.
Danielle Babineau
So. Calif. Political Director
California Peace Action
Los Angeles
Re “Foreign Pilots Hired to Boost U.S. Drug War” (Aug. 18), on pilots hired to conduct our covert war in Colombia: Oliver North conducted our covert war in El Salvador for Ronald Reagan from the White House basement.
George W. Bush himself is now conducting our covert war in Colombia from the Oval Office. We now know what he meant when he said he was going to raise the moral standards in the White House. Move it up three floors!
Roger West
Seal Beach
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