Mr. Hollywood has left 3958 comments

Mr. Hollywood comments on No news from Sr Tertius ?

Sr. T., lives in the US and is anti-FARC. So I'm not worried he was one of the Reyes groupies killed in March. Probably just got tired of the bickering.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Venezuela weapons worry US, Colombia

With all the ducks we have in the US it's no wonder we run out of duck tape sometimes.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Economic Hit Man

I have friends who were deeply involved in some of the historical events Perkins claims to have been a part of. Their response to the book was simply, "Never heard of the guy." If he played the roles he claims they would have known him. I think his macro critiques of some of the deleterious effects of development aid are valid (though hardly unique to him) but my sense is that a huge portion of the autobiographical details of the book are fudged or totally fictional.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Medellin Mansion & Medellin Estate for Sale

I would feel like I had a bullseye on my forehead every time I walked out of the door of that place.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombia president: Interpol report is strong evidence of Venezuelan support for rebels

You know, the AP story doesn't quote Uribe saying that the Interpol report proves Chavez supports the FARC. It quotes Uribe saying the Interpol report proves that Colombia did not manipulate the computer data. Which is correct.

Mr. Hollywood comments on U.S. base is no longer welcome in Ecuador

I'm sure Chavez weighed in already knowing that Colombia wasn't even considering a base in La Guajira. Why would they, there's already one in Aruba doing the same thing? Nothing like two air bases right next to each other, especially one (La Guajira) with big security issues.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Chavez tells Colombia not to build base for US

As soon as he kicks he FARC out of Venezuela...

Mr. Hollywood comments on The Interpol Findings on Reyes' data....

I'm willing to venture that it isn't cheap to continue to support an army of 10,000 - 20,000 people living in a country where they're being systematically hunted and cornered. Even with the generally minimalist conditions of the rank and file FARC, that's a lot of mouths to feed and take care of.

Mr. Hollywood comments on The Interpol Findings on Reyes' data....

Venezuela is welcome to loan me $300 million that I'll repay when I take over Colombia. The fact that Venezuela even bothers to put out a communique like that says it all to me. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Gringo Shooting Followup

Wait, are you telling me I shouldn't have written back to the "Nigerian Princess" and given her my bank account numbers? The problem with your troll "experiment," anon, is that we saw through it and called bullshit.

Mr. Hollywood comments on The Interpol Findings on Reyes' data....

Sarkozy would NEVER be that stupid. What, risk 6 years chained to Ingrid in the jungle vs. the next 10 shagging Carla Bruni in Cannes? Surely you jest.

Mr. Hollywood comments on need a new name

"Raul Reyes" is also currently free.

Mr. Hollywood comments on The Interpol Findings on Reyes' data....

I can't wait to find out what internet sites Mr. Reyes liked to frequent. Didn't anyone ever explain to him how to clear cache and history?

Mr. Hollywood comments on Washington Post Editorial: Mr. Uribe's Send-Off

As if information is constrained by political borders, anyway. Great Washington Post piece.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

More than a death sentence, I think Colombia would be served by a law enforcement system that actually investigated and solved a majority of serious crimes, then tried and generally convicted the guilty. Let's start there. Colombia actually has plenty of executions, but hardly enough justice.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian High Profile Criminals and Witness Protection

CatGirl, one thing Colombia has plenty of is people who have been traumatized by bad experiences with the dark side. So it doesn't surprise me that you might encounter a rambling nutter, if that's what he was. I can't even imagine the pain of being clinically paranoid in a place like Colombia, where there truly are so many weird things afoot and so much is played out below the surface.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Gringo Shooting on Friday

I think that after this badass killer gringo whooped ass on these ladrones he probably went and extradited himself 14 paracos back to the USA, just for kicks.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Gringo Shooting on Friday

All I have to say is that's one pretty badass gringo if he can drop not one but two Colombians stone dead with a handgun as they're racing away on a moto into the darkness. Rambo meets Annie Oakley. I'm not buying it.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

I don't get it. Really. Why does the extradition of these 14 guys add up to no-justice for victims? Are there ongoing investigations that are now stopping because of this? Why can't the Colombian government and the victims continue to investigate the truth about paramilitary crimes just because 14 leaders are sitting in a US jail?

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

Sorry to ruffle your feathers, Buggy, NGO is a commonly used shorthand for NGO's and intergovernmental organizations. Do you, by chance, work for one?

Mr. Hollywood comments on Can I retire at my age with my savings

I wonder what the protection on 6 businesses runs these days in Medellin?

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

It's "Alice in Wonderland" time in the NGO community, it seems. Apparently actually punishing criminals is now a form of impunity?

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian High Profile Criminals and Witness Protection

I'm talking about what the Colombian government does. I'm sure there is much cooperation with various US agencies on some of these cases, though. With regard to your second question, it sounds like your ex-hubby was a real character... Anyone who pretended to be a guerilla in Colombia is beyond stupid.

Mr. Hollywood comments on When will there ever be direct Miami San Anndres service?

SAI is more attractive to Colombians than anyone else. This is because of the difficulty Colombians have getting visas. To a gringo with a blue passport, SAI isn't a particularly stand-out destination. What's to differentiate it from any of a dozen other Caribbean spots from the Mexican Riviera to the Dominican Republic and beyond?

Mr. Hollywood comments on Can I retire at my age with my savings

Raaay, what are some examples of that kind of $30,000US business in Colombia?

Mr. Hollywood comments on When will there ever be direct Miami San Anndres service?

Seems to me that SAI already has more tourism than it can cope with.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Can I retire at my age with my savings

if you buy three apartments to rent out then you're not retired, you've just become a professional landlord.

Mr. Hollywood comments on TRIP REPORT...(yes,another).............Los Lomas Finca Hotel

Raaay, that's a lovely dog caddie you travel with.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian High Profile Criminals and Witness Protection

I know of a number of people who were helped to leave the country, either permanently or for a few years. The government also provides actual physical security (armored cars and bodyguards) for certain people who are under threat as witnesses. What always surprises me is the number of Colombians who leave under some kind of threat and then come back once the coast is clear. It seems like the attention span of most murderous criminals must be shorter in Colombia than many other places. I wouldn't have the balls to come back a year or two after getting serious death threats and leaving, but, then again, I don't have the balls to do the kind of things that resulted in the death threats in the first place.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

I didn't realize until I saw that video that Don Berna is pregnant with twins.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

I'd like to hear your question, kitty.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

Webmanco, has Colombia ever REQUESTED the extradition of a US drug user? Given that personal use is legal in Colombia it would be awfully hard to justify.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

Funny, Colombiangringo and I said basically the same thing at the same time.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

Desi, getting a country's shit together is something that happens step by step. You can't leap from crawling to running without learning to walk first. One step is getting this kind of "scum of the earth" punished at all when previously they operated with complete impunity. Fixing the criminal justice system is a long and difficult road, particularly in a country like Colombia with such a powerful black market.

Mr. Hollywood comments on What is this world coming too....Laughing my ass off..JETBLUE

I think that WAS Elmo and the untold story is that he actually fought the flight attendant to get to be the one riding on the can.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

MT, I agree with you that it's sad Colombia doesn't seem able to deal with these issues in its own courts. But overall I think it's a good sign that the government is cracking down so hard on the paracos who have so badly abused the demobilization and peace process. The benefits outweigh the costs, in my opinion.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

The "justice" question. It' s an interesting question whether the needs of victims (and families of victims) of these warlords back in Colombia are not served because they won't be tried on the specific human rights violations but, rather, on a bevvy of smuggling, RICO, money laundering and other charges in the US. Personally, if my loved one had been killed by one of these scumbags I'd much rather seem him do life in a US jail for a "different" crime than do short time in a Colombian jail for my own specific offense. But that's just me. And, just as a data point, this isn't a total abstraction. Someone close to me was, in fact, at one point under death threat from one of the dirtbags on that plane, so maybe some of my glee is personal.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

Tinto, you're wrong. Alien tort claims routinely involve non-US plaintiffs and non-US defendants.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

By the way, on the victims seeking justice front, I'd suggest they do a little research into the alien tort claims act of 1789 and file suit in the US against Don Berna and the other paraco jefes. I'm sure there are assets that can be seized. Some enterprising plaintiff's lawyer should take this up.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

Durito wrote, "I'm not sure I agree with this. He may want to talk, but who is listening. The US gov't isn't going to give him a forum to speak, it's most likely in their interests to keep him quiet." Oh, yes, they'll give him a forum to speak. It's called a trial. I'm sure he'll blabber like crazy, if he sees that as being in his interests. And it's not like he's being thrown into Gitmo. He'll be reachable just like any other Federal prison inmate. But, personally, I think Mr. Mancuso and the others are fairly discredited as witnesses, and their axe to grind is obvious.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

Buggy, you can expect that Mancuso will talk a whole lot more from his US holding cell, so there goes that theory. The fact is, the demobilization was starting to look like a joke if the paraco leaders were continuing their dirty deeds from behind bars. They signed an agreement saying they would STOP their criminal endeavors and go straight. Then they broke that agreement. Now they're being held accountable.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Colombian paramilitary warlords extradited

Nice work, Uribe. Another blow to impunity. I hope those paracos enjoy Leavenworth.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Growing poppy.

There's a political stigma if you're growing it by the hectare. Otherwise, it's just another flower.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Another positive for Colombia's Medical Care

Tinto, in my experience US hospitals actually often list their prices at up to 10X what the insurance cos pay. As LPdiver noted, it's pretty much just a tax scam so they can write off their "losses" at that amount.

Mr. Hollywood comments on 1000 Tombs Discovered in Bogota (Natl Geo article)

Early fosa comun. The more things change the more they stay the same, huh?

Mr. Hollywood comments on Bush Touts His Record(?) On Latin America--Serious,,,LOL

Hey, look at it this way, he hasn't invaded anywhere in Latin America.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Is "dengue" "west nile virus"?

it's interesting, actually, the history of DDT and malaria. The original use of DDT to combat malaria was VERY contained. They sprayed it on the inside walls of houses and huts in malarial regions. The mosquitos that transmit malaria, apparently, inevitably land on the walls of huts before or after biting people. Since the mosquitos are simply carriers, this effectively breaks the chain of transmission between on infected person to another. However, people got over enthusiastic about using it to eliminate mosquitos, period, and overapplied it in the form of those trucks Mononoke remembers. This resulted in resistant bugs and lots of birds with reproductive problems, yet was largely ineffective against malaria. this was all told to me one day on a flight from MIA to BOG by a disease control specialist.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Rambo Eat Your Heart Out!

And just think, these guys were the winners in the Colombian drug trade. That's not a very attractive outcome in life to strive for. Great story.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Malaria Pills for Leticia - where can I pick some up in Medellin?

I've had malaria, and I've seen someone very near and dear to me suffer from terrible malaria drug (larium) side-effects. Neither one is pretty, but if I had to choose, I'd take my experience with malaria over my loved-one's bout with larium side effects. Doxicycline won't do that to you but I think it does make you sensitive to the sun. On the other hand, it will clear up the clap if you get it in Leticia.

Mr. Hollywood comments on Bogota Police advises of a new scam targeted at gringos

Probably time this board forms its own paramilitary group: Aguilas Blancas Calcetines Con Chanclas and starts taking down a few of these scumbags.