Dateline NBC's report of Colombia last Friday

[Larry in Dallas]

Yikes!!  According to the Dateline NBC's report last Friday night, geraldo riveria reported that I think there were a backlog of 200,000 visa applications at the Bogota embassy.  (Can anyone verify this because I hear it  on the fly?....)
  Of course, none of Colombia's many positive points were mentioned-the friendly people, wonderfully stunningly beautiful women, Colombia's Copa Championship and fiesta atmosphere- and all the negatives were emphasized continually-the drug war, violations of human rights, and the communist threat of FARC.
  Please, anyone, tell me what you thought of Dateline's report.

                                          sincerely,

                                          Larry in Dallas

[NW Jim]

... in response to Dateline NBC's report of Colombia last F..., posted by Larry in Dallas on Sep 3, 2001

Just a reminder that things are not so peaceful outside the cities:

September 4, 2001 Posted: 4:07 PM EDT (2007 GMT)
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- The director of the foreign branch of Colombia's secret police is missing following a weekend abduction at his farm outside Bogota, the police agency said Tuesday.

Ramiro Carranza, of the Department of Administrative Security, or DAS, was abducted by three gunmen wearing camouflage fatigues on Sunday morning near Quetame, 25 miles southeast of Bogota. Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, operate in the area.

[Tai]

... in response to Re: DAS Director kidnapped..........., posted by NW Jim on Sep 5, 2001

How ironic is that. The director of the "secret" police gets kidnapped at his house.

That...is classic.

Tai

[JUAN]

... in response to Dateline NBC's report of Colombia last F..., posted by Larry in Dallas on Sep 3, 2001

The situation in Colombia is no joke, there is a mass exoddus of people going on in Colombia, if you think these people are leaving just for the heck of it you need to get a clue.

In addition to the problems highlighted in the Rivera report there is also a high rate of unemployment and crime in Colombia, serious stuff.

LID, I thought the report was interesting and very insightful.

As for all the negatives being highlighted, the report was on the problems in Colombia and Plan Colombia.

[pack]

... in response to Are you blind Pack?, posted by JUAN on Sep 4, 2001

stop the panic juan you are scaring yourself! first off everyone know that Rivera is the biggest scare mongor in all of the media! there has always been a long line at the embassy for the u s a. yea the economy sucks,yea there is a war going on there, yea they have crime...its been like that since i have been going to colombia in 1997...so whats new? if you base your decisions on the media especially these Rivera type shows you'll never even leave your house to go to the grocery store. calm down juan..sheeeesh your gonna get a heart attack before i do.

there is crime everywhere, just read the reports on this board, peru,brazil,mexico,phillipines,russia, and good ol u s a . every man on this board knows the chances we take going south to find the one ...but we do it anyway, we dont let Rivera scare us away .i have a friend here from brazil , he says crime in brazil is much worse that in cali.

[JUAN]

... in response to Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by pack on Sep 4, 2001

Pack you missed my point. My point was that the situation in Colombia is VERY real, it is no joke. Geraldo Rivera  was just reporting on the facts of the situation in Colombia.

Do you really think Geraldo Rivera and NBC brass were sitting around when they were  planning this report saying "let's do this report on Colombia so we can scare away the foreignors looking for wives in Colombia?"

Do you think Colombia wants bad press? Do you think they want to lose tourism? Especially considering the state of the economy there? That report could not have been done without permission from the Colombian government, Rivera even interviewed Andres Pastrana.

I've talked to many, many Colombians on the situation there, they love and miss their country but concede that life is better and safer here. I know a guy that was a doctor in Colombia, know what he's doing now? Washing dishes in a restaurant.

Also, yes, there is crime all around the world but the crime statistics in US cities do not come even close to crime statistics in lots of cities around the world.

I read somewhere that the murder rate in Colombia is the highest in the hemisphere, the murder rate in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil is 25 a day.

Also in other countries the police force is just as bad, if not worse than the criminals they are supposed to be going after.

Police officers in the US get a bum rap but imho they are the best in the world.

[pack]

... in response to Re: Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by JUAN on Sep 4, 2001

im sorry your rambling has totally lost me. you say colombias crime is worst in the hemisphere, then you turn around and say Rio has 25 killings a day? you knock the police of the other countries then make ours sound like Gods....wheree do yo get this information? of course Rivera and NBC are focusing on colombia, Bagdad and Bosnia have already been bombed into submission. now the media needs a new story...lets try colombia! the fact is the colombian wars have been going on for thirty something years ..and Geraldo is just now making his way down there?

i never said the situation in colombia was a joke ...the joke is its always been going on , still is , and probably will continue. my point is you cant stop living because a region has political problems. you cant go anywhere in the world without encountering some type of problems.how many countries can you name that dont have some sort of problems?

look at russia,phillipines,brazil,peru,mexico,china,malaysa,edqudor,venezuela presidente is buddying up with castro,middle east, africa,etc etc. so times are bad in colombia...you suggesting we all stay home or what?

[JUAN]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by pack on Sep 4, 2001

Do you really think Geraldo Rivera did that report with the intent of 'scaring' foreignors away from looking for wives there? Do you not see the lunacy in that logic?

Pack, I guess you as a foreignor can downplay the situation in Colombia and refer to reports on it as 'scare tactics' but that's because you've probably got a nice job here, a nice savings account and the golden parachute.....American Citizenship, if things ever get too hot for you in Colombia you're on the first plane back to the greatest country in the world.

Unfortunately, for the Colombian people in Colombia it's not as easy as that.

I rest my case.

[pack]

... in response to I ask again, posted by JUAN on Sep 5, 2001

and once again i answer...he didnt do it to scare people away he did it fo...THE RATINGS!

[Aaron]

... in response to Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by pack on Sep 4, 2001

Pack,

I think you have been tivializing the current condition of Colombia.

From my statement, don't think I have negative impressions about Colombia or it's beautiful and friendly people. However, I deeply admire the culture and attitudes of most law abiding Colombians living there, as well as in the USA.

This is not an issue about justifying your pursuits of travelling to Colombia to meet women. It's fine and dandy that you like Colombian women, and are travelling to the country to meet such women. Most interested men wouldn't.

However, look at the facts. Colombia has high rates of unemployement, last time I heard the unemployment rate was 25%. High rates of kidnapping, car bombs, socio-economic inequity, and an enormous foreign debt that will take decades for the nation to pay off. Also, not to mention that because of such debt, the government as cut many social programs for poorer people, as well as made enormous cuts in pensions for governmental employees. In addition to this, funding for public education, as well as for faculty salaries at public universities has been cut. These are some of the social issues that Colombia has been facing beyond the rebel and paramilitary groups. Also, I would like to mention this. The involvement of the IRA training the rebels how to make high-tech explosives is highly critical. This can add a whole new dimension to the warfare that has been going on. The use of high-tech explosives makes the bombing in the cities more dangerous, along with the elusiveness of the culprits. With these types of bombs, the cities can become unmanageable terror zones. One good thing about the DMZ is that now the Colombian Army has somewhat an idea about where the FARC is located. But, just think what would happen if the zone didn't exist. FARC rebels would be migrating throughout the rural areas of the country, hitting places with bombs and other acts of violence, then moving to other locations. This is why it is hard to defeat guerrillas.

Pack, it is fine that you like to jump from agency to agency; however, you need to investigate more thoroughly about the condition Colombia is in to get a better idea why many of the girls you are meeting have began to look for husbands from other countries. I am not saying that it is bad for these women to look for men that can offer them a better way of life. That is not a bad thing. For some it may be the best thing. But, for others, it may be the worst depending on the people involved in the relationship.

P.S. You better hope that the guerrilas never learn about the agencies in Cali. You might get kidnapped on your next cita. I can imagine it now, the mamacita invites you to Juanchito, but suddenly the taxi turns down a dark alley. A year later, I see your face on the side of a milk carton.
HA HA HA!!!! Only a joke, but not impossible.

I, myself, like going to the agencies. Also, I try to have a little more sensitivity for the turmoil that has been happening, and I try to respect the concerns of Colombians both there and in the USA.  

Chau,
Aaron

[Raptor]

... in response to Re: Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by Aaron on Sep 4, 2001

P.S. You better hope that the guerrilas never learn about the agencies in Cali. You might get kidnapped on your next cita. I can imagine it now, the mamacita invites you to Juanchito, but suddenly the taxi turns down a dark alley. A year later, I see your face on the side of a milk carton.
HA HA HA!!!! Only a joke, but not impossible. "

Only a fool would think they don't know about the gringo and the agencies.  They just don't want them.  Too much heat!

[pack]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by Raptor on Sep 5, 2001

CORRECT!

[Aaron]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by Raptor on Sep 5, 2001

Raptor,

Good point. It is definitly too much heat for the guerrillas to start kidnapping gringos from the agencies.
However, I believe that we have been very lucky, rather I should say blessed so far.

However, my point is this. If the guerrillas wanted to get nasty with the USA, which isn't beyond them, they could easily send a foxy mamacita to "Norm's Place." All she has to do is invite us out for the evening; then the next morning, we're bound and gagged in the jungle. Really, If you think about it, they can do this without the Colombian Army or USA even knowing that a guerrilla group did it. It's like this, "one minute I see you, the next minute you're gone without anyone knowing your whereabouts or who you were with." It's easy.

The figures say that 30% of the guerrillas are female. From the photos I've seen, they look just as good as the girls in the agencies.... Who knows, maybe some of the girls that we've met, seen in the books and websites, etc., etc., have joined the guerrilla groups.... They pay more than the minimum wage. Just something to think about.

La Paz,
Aaron

[pack]

... in response to Re: Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by Aaron on Sep 4, 2001

im convinced!!! im never going back to cali. my next trip will be to...hmmmmmmmm how about Boise Idaho, thats pretty safe place...naw to cold. San diego yea thats it San Diego my next trip!

[muddslinger]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Are you blind Pack?, posted by pack on Sep 4, 2001

naw, san diego sucks. i live here. 4 men to every girl. the ratio realy stinks here.