The red dance

dwmte7 says on May 21, 2008, 11:41:

that's a bit of a sad story.....

dwmte

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juancegomez says on May 21, 2008, 18:46:

It is incredibly tragic. It is also more complex than it seems on the surface.

To quote one phrase from the preface to the book "Walking Ghosts" by Steven Dudley, which sums up my own thoughts as well:

"At first, the story of the UP seemed like such a simple tale to tell: a small, well-meaning political party crushed by its foes in the government, the paramilitaries, and the oligarchy. But with time and investigation, these stories begin to take on the shades of gray that so characterize Colombia. As political analysts and journalists have repeatedly pointed out, Colombia does not easily fit into stereotypes".

The voices of the victims and their families have to be heard, and this documentary is very informative and very moving for that purpose and that necessity. That is undeniable and it is something that should be assumed as a serious responsibility, not just individually but collectively.

Yet, and there comes the tricky part, the story does not end there, in several senses. That does not mean trying to find "excuses", but trying to understand the different threads that make up reality, to understand how and why these horrors occur and how they can be prevented, not just to condemn them as much as they deserve.

Or at least that should be the ultimate objective.

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SiV says on May 21, 2008, 19:27:

So what are the shades of grey about the UP? Did they maintain strong links with the Farc?

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

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juancegomez says on May 21, 2008, 20:42:

There are several shades worth mentioning actually, and not just on that side. I think the best way to provide an answer would be to read that book or previous discussions about exactly the same subject here in PBH.

That or having the time to type up a longer post to give you specifics, but...that isn't the case right now.

I will say this: it's not a matter of whether there were individuals that did "maintain strong links", because even if that is true, it's still not everything there is to the issue. One has to take a closer look at FARC, the UP, the Communist Party, the military, the drug lords, the politicians, the paramilitaries and others. Again, I believe the book does a good job of presenting a detailed overview of the situation, as the author interviewed people from pretty much every side.

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Alma del Norte says on May 21, 2008, 23:38:

Thanks for this Webby. I haven't seen a video so comprehensive about the betrayal of the UP before. Very moving. I'll watch again tomorrow. Let us not forget..

La vida es una rutina

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webmanco says on May 25, 2008, 15:10:

Mayo 25 de 2008

'Alfonso Cano', el antropólogo que reemplazará a Marulanda al frente de las Farc

http://www.eltiempo.com/conflicto/noticias/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-...

En los años ochenta, ya en las Farc, estuvo al frente de la creación de la Unión Patriótica, un partido político conformado como parte de las negociaciones de paz que se realizaron con el gobierno del presidente conservador Belisario Betancur (1982-1986).

Tras la ruptura de esos diálogos y el advenimiento de una campaña en la que más de 3.000 militantes de la Unión Patriótica fueron asesinados, Cano ingresó de pleno a las actividades militares de las Farc y se le encomendó la dirección del bloque noroeste en la región bananera de Urabá (fronteriza con Panamá).

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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webmanco says on May 25, 2008, 15:17:

test

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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