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Check Out Ecuador growing a pair

I really applaud them for standing up for themselves!!! Talk about buying votes???

As bad as they got it, they made the decision to not be bought off by Washington anymore. I wish other countries (ummm,ummm...need to clear my throat here) would take the same stand and the responsibility and challenge of such actions. Will Colombia, under Uribe or whoever, ever take the same stand at any point?

Tired of the meddling in domestic politics??? Tired of having a gun to your head by the USA (do what I say or else no more aid)? Just say No! to the US aid.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&e=4&u=/ap/20050624/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/ecuador_us

Ecuador Refuses to Sign U.S. Immunity Pact
Thu Jun 23, 8:57 PM ET

QUITO, Ecuador - Ecuador will not sign a pact to grant U.S. military personnel special immunity from the International Criminal Court, even if that means more aid cuts from Washington, the foreign minister said Thursday.

"If the United States decides it cannot provide aid if we do not sign this, well, we very much regret that we will not receive the aid," Antonio Parra told Channel 6 television.

President Bush opposes the International Criminal Court, which started operating in 2003. His administration argues it could be used for frivolous or politically motivated prosecutions of American troops.

Last year, Bush signed into law a measure to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to countries that belong to the court but have not signed a bilateral immunity agreement with the United States.

As a result, Ecuador last year forfeited $15.7 million in aid, much of it for military equipment, according to Citizens for Global Solutions, a nonprofit organization based in The Hague, Netherlands.

If military funding is cut, "that will impede our armed forces' effectiveness in the entire struggle against terrorism and narcotics trafficking inside our national territory," Parra warned.

He said he doubted the Bush administration would take more drastic action against Ecuador — a key South American ally in Washington's battle against drug trafficking.

Since 1999, the United States has used an Ecuadorean air base near the Pacific port city of Manta as an operations center for drug surveillance flights in the region.

By toneloc24 on Jun 24, 2005, 10:52 in Politics & the war.

expatriate says on Jun 24, 2005, 10:57:

Go Ecuador! They also didn't cut any slack for the corrupt El Presidente a few weeks ago. Ecuadorians have balls Americans can only dream of.

If you are young, skilled, and intelligent, you might want to seriously consider leaving the US now, while you still can.

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latintraveller says on Jun 24, 2005, 12:13:

Too bad for the people This already poor country could use all the US$ it can get and everybody in the region needs them to continue their fight against narcotics.
But as toneloc24 put it, if you don't want to listen to the US, you don't have to get any of its money either.

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utopiacowboy says on Jun 24, 2005, 22:00:

I wouldn't exactly call any country that uses the US dollar as its offical currency (like Ecuador) independent of the US.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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toneloc24 says on Jun 24, 2005, 22:09:

UC Never know, it might be the yen soon enough.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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utopiacowboy says on Jun 24, 2005, 22:38:

Hell, at the rate we're going, we're all going to be using the yen!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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caslug says on Jun 25, 2005, 00:33:

i think you guys mean.. Yuan(chinese), Japan is STILL in a recession..

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platano says on Jun 25, 2005, 00:45:

Y'all think it's time to start learning Mandarin? China oil takeover

plátano

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utopiacowboy says on Jun 25, 2005, 23:04:

You're right - it's the yuan. I must have been thinking of that old joke about the difficulties of making a phone call in China. There's so many Wings and so many Wongs, it's easy to wing the wong number.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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