Life in a FARC Camp

timeforachangeofscenery says on Aug 27, 2007, 06:58:

Yuk....what a horrible article. I need a shower.

I couldn't believe this propoganda masquerading as journalism.....

""""The FARC’s involvement in the coca trade and its human rights abuses against civilians, including kidnapping and the use of landmines and notoriously inaccurate homemade mortars, have made it easy for critics to simply dismiss the rebels as criminals. However, the issue is not so black and white, as I discovered in the FARC camp. In fact, it is difficult to accept such claims given the difficult life that the guerrillas live. After all, unlike Colombian soldiers and paramilitary fighters, the rebels do not get paid and they receive no material benefits other than three meals a day.""""

He's basically saying, "They ARE criminals and they do kill, maim and kidnap civilians but it's ok - they're NOT spending the money on big houses or nice cars - hell, they don't even get cable out there"

He says that these people are being inaccurately portrayed as criminals - what a NERVE. If an army attacks civilians in time of war, they're committing a WAR CRIME - which makes them war criminals. If a group of people attack civilian targets, then they're criminals. Pure and simple. There's no grey area when you attack civilian targets.

Then he goes on and on about how his FARC buddies are all fighting for equality and freedom. The irony that they're doing this by attacking the very civilians they're trying to liberate is no doubt lost on this clown.

His last paragraph is a self-indulgent rant on the merits of socialism with a few perfunctory references to his farc funded field-trip to maintain the facade of relevance.

What a load of CRAP.

Timefor.

Mr. Hollywood says on Aug 27, 2007, 11:28:

I don't think Garry Leech ever purported to be unbiased. He's been a FARC mouthpiece for a long time.

Pretty funny to me that he GLORIFIES the fact that the FARC doesn't pay its members (according to him). In other places, that is known as forced recruitment. I guess Leech's glass if always half-full. It's also brilliant logic on his part that because lots of FARC as individuals are nice people that, therefore, the group itself must be noble.

Tinto (Moderator) says on Aug 28, 2007, 10:40:

Anyone know if the Canadian government considers FARC a terrorist organization?

Mr. Hollywood says on Aug 28, 2007, 10:51:

Yep, they do.

http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp

And it appears they consider it a crime to support those groups.

Tinto (Moderator) says on Aug 28, 2007, 11:15:

Thanks.

A few years ago I used to read most of the new articles on Colombia Journal. It was clear the editor was opposed to Plan Colombia but he provided some historical perspective and thoughtful criticism as opposed to the worthless hyperbole elsewhere. I hadn't visited the site in a long time and then the article above popped up on Google News. As I said, I think he crossed the line but maybe he crossed it long ago. Oh well, at least he's not trying to be secretive -- if Canadian Intelligence or Colombian Intelligence ever want to talk to him or deny future visits to Colombia, he's easy to find.

Mr. Hollywood says on Aug 28, 2007, 13:50:

My own feeling is it's not like he's out there raising money for them or identifying kidnapping victims to target. If he wants to be a romantic lefty college professor or whatever it is he does for money when he's not picking leaches off his scrotum in Reyes' back yard, he's welcome to it.

I don't like the "thought crime" aspect of a lot of these laws that define "support of terrorism" too broadly.

Tinto (Moderator) says on Aug 28, 2007, 14:13:

And to add complexity/ambiguity, does the self-funded editor of a free website receive the same privileges and/or legal protections as a traditional journalist? If not, should he?

Simon says on Aug 28, 2007, 14:53:

GARRY LEECH = TERRORIST SYMPATHIZER!!

"You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do."---Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

john_stark says on Aug 28, 2007, 22:00:

Cripes, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. The words become meaningless since we've got everyone with innocent blood on their hands. Who hasn't got it can throw the first stone. If you live in the US (whose government is the world's biggest terrorist organization) you have no right to do anything other than STFU.

timeforachangeofscenery says on Sep 5, 2007, 01:00:

Tinto,

The stuff that guy's writing cannot in all decency be considered journalism.

A journalist's function is to present an unbiased representation of the facts for the benefit of the general public.

When a writer carefully selects his facts and then presents these facts in a biased fashion, and in such a way that these facts then support a message that corresponds to his personal agenda, this person can no longer be considered a journalist.

This person is nothing more than a propogandist.

The FARC would never consider taking a real journalist with them into the jungle. This is because a real journalist would be forced - in the interest of unbiased reporting - to state all the facts - in context - for the public to make their own judgement.

People who run their own web-sites should be forced to outline any affiliations they might hold prior to be allowing to peddle their rubbish.

tfac

Sr Tertius says on Sep 5, 2007, 17:30:

Leech's article aside... and generic observations about journalism aside...

"The FARC would never consider taking a real journalist with them into the jungle."

The FARC invited Clarin's Pablo Biffi, chief of its international section and a well established journalist, to interview Raul Reyes in the jungle (http://fredalvarez.blogspot.com/2007/09/pablo-biffi-entrevista-las-far...).

He wasn't the judge of a beauty contest or anything like that, and it's just an interview, but I believe there are other instances where journalists have reported **what they were allowed to see** of FARClandia, particularly during the Caguan years. Now, you may argue that they only get to see what FARC wants to show, etc. But that's true with anyone concerned with security, be it a guerrilla, government, or whatever.

"When the finger points to the moon, the fool looks at the finger" (Chinese proverb)