Letter from Colombia

[markxport]

... in response to A better.., posted by lex on Aug 22, 2002

Well Lexy, thank you for providing all of us with your exhaustive list of credentials, which expertly back up your "FARC Facts".  

Now if you were to actually go back an read my statements, probably for the first time, you would find that I never stated, nor implied that the Colombian Military was going to defeat FARC.  I actually agreed with you on the point of FARC not being easily defeated.  What I questioned was your "FARC Facts".  For which, you have never responded.  

Look Lexy, if your going to running around spouting vague "facts and figures", then be prepared for someone to ask the source of this information.  If you are challenged, it shouldn't be a problem to give sources, rather than making statements like "Im not going to wet nurse you on this".  

Oh, and I like the part about "I have been around the fringe areas of Colombia for years.. Places you would wet your pants if you went to. Not talking about a park outside of Cali"....for which you were asked by others what that meant and still no reply...Lexy, having a VHS cassette of "Romancing the Stone" doesn't qualify for "been around the fringe areas of Colombia for years", it wasn't even filmed there....lol

Now you want to know my credentials, as far as FARC goes, NONE!!!  Which puts me in a dead heat with you....
As for my background, I hold degrees (grad & undergrad) in US Foreign Policy (Southeast Asia) & Int'l Bus.  Furthermore, I travel and conduct Int'l Business on a day-to-day basis.  Which doesn't make be an expert on Colombia, but then I've never claimed to be one.  Finally, my college roommate, which we still talk on a regular basis, is currently a senior ranking US Military personnel responsible for implementing "Plan Colombia".  He is routinely in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, working with gov't officials and military personnel.....

Now once and for all Lexy, tells us about your credentials, your sources, and I won't say another word....:-)

Take care,

Mark

[lex]

... in response to Thank you...., posted by markxport on Aug 22, 2002

Wait a year and we will see who is right about the situation and how it develops.....Im glad your an educated and worldly man. Do a little research on your own and maybe you will come up with a different opinion.  You'll be forced to as time passes....

I dont know how many different ways I can say this to you before you finally understand....The sources of this information are everywhere...you dont need credentials to research facts.....Its all over the internet, books have been written, ex FARC members have been interviewed, jounalists have been allowed into their camps to do interviews and see their equipment, its been written about in newspapers, talked about on the radio, and been the subject of television special reports.....Where have you been? The Colombian Governement has admitted in the past on the record what they are up against.....

The biggest proof is all the millions of dollars, equipment, and training we are giving the colombian army..and the Colombian Governments massive defense increase...Why in Gods name does it take all this to defeat a ragtag bunch of illiterates?  The answer is because they are a very formidable force to be dealt with.....

I suggest you email a Mr. Pelton from the Worlds Most Dangerous Places website.  He has been on TV extensively recently in Afghanistan. He is a very credible source about the threat the FARC has become and if you dont want to believe me, then maybe you will believe him....He has been all over TV News shows as an "expert" on the world most dangerous places and he is up to snuff on Colombia.....

The best proof of who is right is to wait a year and see what happens......if your right it should just about be over and if Im right then nothing will have changed.....easy to do....later..
 

[markxport]

... in response to Your welcome, posted by lex on Aug 22, 2002

Lex, have you actually read what I’ve written.  If you had, you would know that I have never stated, nor implied that anyone was going to win and or how long it was going to take them to do so.  I’ve made no predictions whatsoever.  Don’t try to read between the lines, just the written words.  This whole string started when in MY OPINION you overstated FARC, just as others have overstated the Colombian gov’t and military.    

Your comments throughout this string have been stated as if coming from someone of authority and experience.  Therefore, I questioned you to learn your source or experience.  However, you instantly start trading insults and don’t answer any of the questions posed to you by myself and others.  Now you state that your sources are everywhere, I just have to pull my head out of the sand.  Ok, fine.  

Yes, I read about Colombian affairs on a daily basis, as I’m very interested in Plan Colombia.  I usually do so, before I read my daily business emails.  Some of my sources are Colombia Times, Yahoo News Colombia and a couple of others.  In addition, I’ve read “The Making of Modern Colombia” and “The Andean Cocaine Industry”, both books you can order online.  If you have any other news sources or books I would appreciate the info, and I’m being sincere.  However, just because it’s in print doesn’t mean it’s accurate and unbiased.  Therefore I take it all with a grain of salt, so should you and everyone else.  On a side note, it’s always interesting to read the local newspapers when I travel overseas because they always have a different “slant” from the news media in the US.

Now I’m not going to waste anymore of Patrick’s bandwidth and disk space on this ridiculous and trivial string.  

Take care,

Mark

[Pete E]

... in response to Your welcome, posted by lex on Aug 22, 2002

Alot could happen in a year if Colombia really goes after the rebels.My concern is not that they will give it a 100% effort and fail but that they will get bogged down politicaly or financialy and have their hands tied and just do a half a--ed effort.From the pace of the past it might very well be that not much happens in a year.
Uribe seems to have resolve,I hope he gets the support he needs.Maybe I am oversymplifing it but we are only talking about 17,000 FARC with very minimal support and overwhelming opposition from a population of 40,000,000.This isn't the Viet Cong with Chinese weapons or the Afgan resistance with US weapons,both with overwhelming support in their countries.These guys are shooting pipe bombs.

Pete

[Pete E]

... in response to Your welcome, posted by lex on Aug 22, 2002

Alot could happen in a year if Colombia really goes after the rebels.My concern is not that they will give it a 100% effort and fail but that they will get bogged down politicaly or financialy and have their hands tied and just do a half a--ed effort.From the pace of the past it might very well be that not much happens in a year.
Uribe seems to have resolve,I hope he gets the support he needs.Maybe I am oversymplifing it but we are only talking about 17,000 FARC with very minimal support and overwhelming opposition from a population of 40,000,000.This isn't the Viet Cong with Chinese weapons or the Afgan resistance with US weapons,both with overwhelming support in their countries.These guys are shooting pipe bombs.

Pete

[Cali vet]

... in response to Your welcome, posted by lex on Aug 22, 2002

Lex, as a traveler to Colombia who has explored a bit of it I am interested in hearing about the "fringe areas" you refered to. I'm not challanging your credibillity here I am simply interested in learning about new places. Would you elaborate.

Thanks,

Cali-vet

[Bubba]

... in response to One more note..., posted by lex on Aug 22, 2002

The reason we didn't win is because we were told NOT TO by the us government. I was a Marine in Vietnam and we could have blacktopped the entire country.  We were not allowed to hold onto and area we took.  We would fight a battle and win and then pull out of the area and just give it back.  In the Gulf war Bush let the Generals run the fight and look what happened.  If we sent special forces in their we could wipe them off the map.  We have night vision and heat seeking equipement they aren't equiped to fight against.

[lex]

... in response to You obviously weren't in Vietnam, posted by Bubba on Aug 22, 2002

Overly simplistic argument. I suppose we could blacktop the entire world if we wanted to but thats not reality is it?  U.S. Special Forces have been operating in Colombia covertly for years with Colombian Army special forces they trained and what has happened?  Yes, I suppose we could nuke the jungle area the FARC control (LOL), or send in thousands of troops but thats not going to happen. We cant invade every country in the world, we are over-extended as it is.  As for Vietnam, its easy to say now what we could have and should have done, but thats got nothing to do with Colombia here and now. It wont be American troops fighting, it will be the Colombian Army and they wont be blacktopping anything....

In regards to Iraq, we were fighting in wide open spaces with total superiority in every facet, with the help of several other countries armies against a crappy army with no motivation or will to fight or win......Again, no comparison to this situation...

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Your dreaming..., posted by Tigre on Aug 22, 2002

I think this president and outcome will be different but the history here could make one dubious that anything will change.But just because former presidents were not up to the job does not mean this one is not.And he has the support of the Colombian people.Looks like they finally had enough.
I think we are going to see some real changes.Could get pretty ugly before its over.

Pete

[robbysanjuan]

... in response to Letter from Colombia, posted by Tigre on Aug 22, 2002

Tigre,
Danger=quality? Unless you have not been conscious during the last 40 years of guerilla war in Colombia, Americans have been kidnapped and killed there, along with people from other countries. You can not compare the Taliban and FARC. The Taliban brought the war to us, the FARC just in Colombia so far. Who are we going to kill there? They bombed and killed civilians at Uribe's swearing in. They blend with the population, it would be a mess. They have been around for fourty years, not for being stupid. I really don't think you can attribute the beauty/personality of a women due to the terrorist conditions in that country. Plus how are you going to keep them from that evil "Americanization" when they get here?

[Nico]

... in response to Re: Letter from Colombia, posted by robbysanjuan on Aug 22, 2002

Good Point Tigre. We smashed the big bad Taliban in no time at all.The Taliban could blend in just as well as any of  their fellow Afhganis in Afghanistan as any Colombian in Colombia, and we still smashed them with some fire and brimestone from the air and a few good men on the ground.The Farc may have been around for 40 years but these Afhganis have been repelling foreign invaders for CENTURIES. If I was a betting man( and I am ) I'm putting my money on the U.S. and the Colombian Govt. coupled with the obvious popular support from the Colombian people, in that battle.
I also agree that when that war is over the gringos will be down there in force.It will still be better than the U.S. for woman hunting,but it won't have that magic,the impact, that it has now.
I don't think however that the U.S. would commit as greatly to Colombia as much as Afghanistan. To elaborate along the lines of robbysanjuaun.Even if the rebels start to step up kidnappings of Americans in Colombia, they aren't necssarily a threat to the homeland which is what really gets the anger of the American people and thereby the U.S. military machine going.

[Tigre]

... in response to Re: Re: Letter from Colombia, posted by Nico on Aug 22, 2002

Nico, you seem to understand the situation. Remember that the FARC killed our new president Uribe's father. It is payback time!!! 3000 Colombian Special forces are now allowed to fight the FARC rather then only the drug war. People say it is another Vietnam but its not. Vietnam had One billion Chinese people backing them, an endless number of fighters. The FARC has 17,000 fighters, mostly teenages, backed by only drug money. As for Robbysanjuan, educate yourself, you don't live here and you only get 5%of the news in the US.

[colman]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Letter from Colombia, posted by Tigre on Aug 22, 2002

LMAO---Epa!!! good points Tigre--5% of the news--you are very correct on this Tigre. Plus--when you think about it that 5% shrinks becuase in my opinion most of the U.S. media seems to have in mind lobbyist, politicians and big corporations when they give out the news. The 5% will be polluted by ulterior motives and influences.--Colman

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Letter from Colombia, posted by colman on Aug 22, 2002

That must be a reference to North American TV news. However anyone who reads Spanish and has access to a computer can bookmark El Tiempo in Bogota, El Pais in Cali, El Heraldo in Barranquilla, El Mundo in Medellin and Caracol Radio among many others. I think that'd get you over 5%.

[colman]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Letter from Colombia, posted by Cali vet on Aug 22, 2002

nt