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Miami Herald's opinion: Keep up the pressure on Colombian rebels

Keep up the pressure on Colombian rebels

OUR OPINION: NARCO-TERRORISTS REMAIN A REAL AND PRESENT DANGER

The violence generated by Colombia's FARC guerrillas over the past few days should dispel the illusion that this narco-terrorist group is either dead or dying. It has been apparent for some time that President Alvaro Uribe's tough policies, reinforced by the material support of the Bush administration, have made the FARC scurry for cover. But with more than 15,000 fighters under arms and a survival instinct that even a cockroach would envy, the FARC is a long way from extermination.

Aggressive pursuit

The clearest evidence came in a series of deadly attacks and incidents of FARC-inspired violence in various parts of the country that included a hotel bombing in Puerto Toledo and the torching of a passenger bus in a rural area. Earlier this month, at least 23 soldiers died in two FARC hit-and-run attacks, and at least 17 more were killed in an ambush on Feb. 9.

By themselves, none of these actions represents a significant setback for the government. FARC leaders want to rally dwindling support by spilling more blood, even at the cost of running up their own casualty list. The danger lies in believing that the rebel movement is somehow ''under control,'' or that the war has dwindled to ''manageable'' levels. Such thinking is precisely what could breathe new life into the narco-terrorist forces when the opposite is what's really needed -- aggressive pursuit to keep the FARC on the run.

Although U.S. aid to Colombia is not in danger, spending for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan remains a Pentagon priority. However, the success of the government's U.S.-supported war against drugs and terrorists shouldn't be used against Colombia as an excuse to put aid to this Andean ally on the back-burner.

This remains the most serious and most intense guerrilla war in the Western Hemisphere. More ominously, the recent reports of FARC involvement in a high-profile kidnapping in Paraguay demonstrate the movement's threat to the entire region and its potential to cause even more harm to the stability and well-being of other countries in Latin America.

No celebration

The people of Colombia have a right to feel more confident these days about their country and about their future. In President Uribe, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia has more than met its match. Thanks to the courage shown by the nation's soldiers and police in carrying out his resolute decisions, Colombians are winning the war against terror and anarchy.

But let's not celebrate victory yet. FARC's murderous intentions and its capacity to wreak havoc remain a real and present danger. So do the FARC-protected crops that generate billions of dollars through the worldwide sale of deadly narcotics. More than ever, it's important to keep up the pressure until Colombia is free of this plague.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/10986674.htm

By ColombianoX on Feb 25, 2005, 09:40 in Politics & the war.

kikiortiz11 says on Feb 25, 2005, 10:10:

Great job! Very good.. I agree 100%.

Kiki Ortiz-Matallana

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ColombianoX says on Feb 25, 2005, 10:16:

I also think this is an excellent opinion! Way to go Miami Herald!

CX

ColombianoX 'Defensor de la Colombianidad'

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madman says on Feb 25, 2005, 12:00:

Nice, I agree 100%

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ARMacleod says on Feb 25, 2005, 12:38:

Nice one!
This kind of thing gives me hope and heart to press on with my plans

Good work and stick at it.

James

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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juancegomez says on Feb 25, 2005, 17:19:

Sorry to be the black sheep here...but 70% agreed... ...with a 30% dissent present just because the article, while mostly well meaning, also tends to simplify the situation a bit too much, without admitting that there's a greater complexity to the conflict and apparently not accepting that U.S. policy towards Colombia does have a few splinters around...

Oh well. One can't have everything...and yes, all this bothers me when articles written from the completely opposite perspective show up too.

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Sr Tertius says on Feb 26, 2005, 10:31:

Whoa! This is a newspaper editorial? GEEEZZ!! Uncritical in its use of terms ("narco-terrorists"?), simplistic in its approach, and alarmist ("threat to the entire region"?). I see very little value in it, except that I know now where the Herald stands: far from professionalism. If you want a serious conservative approach, check The Economist or The Wall Street Journal.

This is not a matter of where you stand relative to Uribe's policies, but of where you draw the line between opinion and jingoistic propaganda.

"I am alone, and they are all together"
Denis de Rougemont, on a 1936 Nazi rally

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

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ColombianoX says on Feb 26, 2005, 13:27:

"This is a newspaper editorial?"

Yes, this is a newspaper editorial, and a great one at that!!

"I see very little value in it, except that I know now where the Herald stands: far from professionalism."

Let me get this straight, being vehemently opposed to murderous narco-terrorists is unprofessional? I think we're beginning to see where you stand, unfortunately.

ColombianoX

'Defensor de la Colombianidad'

ColombianoX 'Defensor de la Colombianidad'

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Sam Salmon says on Feb 26, 2005, 16:15:

Kill 'em ALL!!! For more info see subject line.
J K L

' a la orden!'

' a la orden!'

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ColombianoX says on Feb 26, 2005, 17:04:

Yes, Salmon, although some might not agree with that mentality, I also think that scum such as the FARC need to be completely destroyed.

Kill 'em ALL!!!

ColombianoX

'Defensor de la Colombianidad'

ColombianoX 'Defensor de la Colombianidad'

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Sr Tertius says on Mar 1, 2005, 20:39:

Poor journalism "Let me get this straight, being vehemently opposed to murderous narco-terrorists is unprofessional?"

CX: Having an opinion, even a strong opinion, and communicating it clearly to its audience, is part of the job of any newspaper. But there is a subtle line that divides being opinionated from being the mouthpiece of a particular ideology. The latter is the role of propaganda, not journalism. To distinguish between them, I follow a few rules of thumb:

1. Opinions are debateable. They may be proven incorrect. Anything else is dogma.

2. Opinions acknowledge obvious opposite views. Anything else is solipsism.

3. Opinions separate definitions, assumptions and judgment values from descriptions (that's my big issue with "narco-terrorist": it is a judgment value disguised as descriptive). Anything else is sophistry.

4. Opinions are intended to generate debate and informed decisions, not alarm.

I, like many others, usually fail to make these distinctions when I argue. But I am a private individual, not an editorialist for a newspaper that pretends to be respectable.

As I said, it is not a matter of where you stand relative to Uribe's policies. You may write an editorial supporting the intensification of military actions against the FARC following the recent events. Sure, but if all you can spout is "kill them all!" (or its Herald equivalent), you don't have an opinion: you have anger. And if you have it printed on paper, you don't have an editorial: you have propaganda. Take another example: ANNCOL. Do you take it as a serious news source? Do you know why? Compare your reasons to my points and see what you get.

Obviously, I wouldn't support silencing the Herald, or ANNCOL, or anybody who may want to share their bile with the rest of the world. But, to avoid confusions, it should be displayed alongside the tabloids, TV guide, and other entertainment publications, for those who enjoy it.

"I am alone, and they are all together"
Denis de Rougemont, on a 1936 Nazi rally

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

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Neonovo says on Mar 9, 2005, 12:58:

¡¡¡Qué viva Cuba!!! en el exilio... This Herald column smells of something written by a Cuban-Reactionary. The ilk that have get togethers at the Orange Bowl in Miami, waving cuban-flags, and calling themseles "Gobierno-Cubano-en-el-exilio", while still holding visions of a triunphant return after the evil "barbudo" has been placed to rest.

Personally, if I had a say, I would gladly see Colombia living with the same "poverty" and repression of the Island if those traits came embued with the peace and tranquility there, and as an added bonus, its infant mortality, the lowest in the continent.

Paz

Neonovo

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