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Wastelandlive comments on war within the next two years

Billy, TACAIR. 0-3.

Wastelandlive comments on war within the next two years

Billy... Do you have any military experience?

Wastelandlive comments on war within the next two years

Billy, I like and respect you. But I don't know what to make of this: "You are aware that Colombia has something like 60,000 professional soldiers, which are the ones who do the bulk of the fighting and fill the elite batallions, aren't you? Venezuela on the other hand, doesn't have a single soldier with combat experience." True. And yet Colombia demonstrably can't control its own territory... Venezuela can. Odd, no? Obviously, Venezualan soldiers haven't seen real combat since they put down - ruthlessly - their own FARC-like insurgency in the 60's. That is to say... nobody except maybe a few of their most grayed veterans has any real combat experience. Colombia? Yes, they have "combat experience." Fighting what? Do you think a Farc "front" offers anything beyond a company level challenge? Regiment, batallion, combined arms? Do you believe that experience at that level equates to anything like facing an established army with dedicated logistics, air and sea support? "Elite batallions?" Does that impress you? Elite compared to what? I'm guessing that their training is a little better than what the Venezuelans get because there are some American advisors around... not much better. And how many are they? And how are they going to maintain supply lines accross the Guajira so that they can defend their borders? I could read your 32 page report. But unless it's comparing the Colombian armed forces against the Venezuelan armed forces by some objective standard, that's not really going to help me. I note that Venezuela is flying Su-35's, while Colombia has - what? - some Kfirs? And who has more tanks, and a bigger navy? That's right... the oil rich nation. It's got more money, punto. Yes, I'm military. And yes, I love Colombia, and I would certainly hope that it could weather a storm from the East. But I'll stand by my original assesment: neither country has much capability to project power. Both are limited in their depth, technical capability, and in that most unglamorous aspect of warfare - logistic capability. In the end, geography is each nation's greatest obstacle, and each nation's greatest shield.

Wastelandlive comments on war within the next two years

I read a lot of this: "Hardened, combat trained Colombians would kick Venezuela's ass!" Hmmm. I've got my doubts. It's hard to compare order of battle between two nations with conscription forces. Much of what they call "miitary" isn't trained, isn't equipped, has never, and will never deploy. When it comes to war machines - ships, tanks, planes, artillery - Venezuela wins hands down. That said, I'd question either nation's ability to project power in any meaningful way... especially across mountain ranges and through jungles. I don't think Chavez' toys would make it through... I don't think Venezuelans know how to maintain them and keep them operational. And Colombia? It's struggling to control its own territory. A war with Venezuela would make it... even more of a struggle. I suspect that such a declaration would end up in a bitch-slapping competition. Perhaps some naval exchanges in the Gulf of Venezuela, around disputed islands. Maybe some air combat engagements... one or two planes lost. Most of the pain would be economic, through a loss of trade, and it would be mutual. One suspects that the "war" would end quickly, with a return to the... status quo. I don't see this going far.

Wastelandlive comments on U.S. Military Documents Show Colombia Base Agreement Poses Threat to Region

"I still can´t see why it should be necessary to provide the "“full spectrum operations ” reaching over the entire continent in order to fight drug trafficking and terrorism in Colombia." If you still - after reading my post - haven't pondered the true capabilities which this base agreement affords US forces, is that misunderstanding intentional, or are you struggling to understand English? Kanst Englisch, nein? Hast diese Sprache seit der Grundschule studiert, nicht wahr?

Wastelandlive comments on U.S. Military Documents Show Colombia Base Agreement Poses Threat to Region

Dolfi, I can appreciate your non-interventionist sensibilities. Others might find it strange that a West German - who grew up behind America's nuclear shield, spared the deprivations of Soviet Socialism by the efforts of the free world - would be so skeptical of US intentions. But I've spent enough time in Germany to know that your instincts are based on a healthy anti-militarism and a desire for peace. Fair enough. But think about the quality of the article that you are posting. This is a shamelessly obvious rhetorical device: "According to the U.S. Air Force, the Palenquero base “provides a unique opportunity for full spectrum operations in a critical sub region of our hemisphere where security and stability is under constant threat from narcotics funded insurgencies, anti-US governments, endemic poverty and recurring natural disasters.” The term “full spectrum operations,” as the document makes clear, means that the Colombian base can be used as a launching pad not only for counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations, but for any form of military operation anywhere in South America." Really? The document makes that clear? Actually, it doesn't. It can't. Less than 1K individuals operating out of a handful of Colombian military bases doesn't somehow grant the US a capability to launch "any form of military operation anywhere in Latin America." You needn't take my word for it. Just put on your thinking cap. What sort of resources would that actually require? How many men, what kind of equipment? Covering what kind of distances? What are we going to do, occupy Caracas? Invade Brazil, take down its nuclear program? Mine the harbor in Buenos Aires? The US doesn't have that capability, and doesn't seek it... I'm sorry, but this is alarmist, ideological drivel. Colombia and the region struggle with many problems, but this isn't one of them. If these forces contribute to the takedown of the FARC, Paras, Narcos, so much the better. Meanwhile, the cooperation and exchange is positive. You don't hear a lot about it, but I think even the skeptics - if they wish to be honest - will admit that despite continued abuses, the professionalism and human rights record of the Colombian armed forces overall has vastly improved over the last two decades. Why? Any guesses?

Wastelandlive comments on an article about a Mail Order Bride

GY, You are boring Sir. And making an ass of yourself... Slightly more on topic, I'm uncertain what the scandal is or what the author really had issue with. It was a "fake" marriage? What does she suppose marriage is? Some people crack me up. Necessary fictions, and all that. Sure, she had a long history of mutual support with her fiance. I'm sure they went dutch from day one. Whatever...

Wastelandlive comments on Anybody renting 20 Nov - 30 Nov in Cartagena? Preferably Isla Grande, Laguito, Manga...

Doh! Corrected. Thanks makopp5

Wastelandlive comments on The Days Before the Gringo Invassion

"who seeks out gringos because they beleive that a change of scenery means a change in them and it does not." A pearl of wisdom amongst the rubbish.

Wastelandlive comments on Failing Horribly...Should I call it quits or is there something I'm missing?

Some thoughts... Of course you can do it. How many immigrants arrive on foreign shores and make it, because they have no other choice? The question is, how much can you suffer and how patient can you be? OK. Your degrees are useless (please take no offense: I have two of those as well. It is what it is.) But you speak Spanish. You can do piercing... tatoos? And you're helping your grandfather out. Time to cut expenses down to the bone. Can you move in with him? Absolutely, take what ever job you can get. I echo previous advice... that's not a surrender, it's a way to hang on and build contacts which will lead to better things. That's how it's done. Teaching English is a rough road... if you can make money with it, great! But your future is being a fluent Spanish speaker who can be a valuable team member AND happens to speak perfect English. What Colombian industries can really benefit from English speaking abilities? Get your foot in the door in one - it doesn't matter, warehousing (trade), tourism, call center, medical, whatever - and work your way up. Offer to come on at a cut rate and prove yourself. You'll rise fast. Consider that at 24 it's OK to start all over again. How about school? You don't have to be the guy with a useless degree forever. Want to become a Doctor? That may be cheap there, at the national university, especially once you get your feet under you. Computer skills? Want to learn SAP? There was a guy here earlier asking about joining the Colombian military. I don't think it was very appropriate to his situation, but you are a dual citizen, a fluent English speaker, and you have a college degree! You may be able to find a way to become a military officer! Have you considered that? I'll bet they would love you... particularly in the Navy! For some reason, we often limit ourselves in what we can do... don't! I don't know you... but strangely, I hope you don't give up. It's a little easier in the US, but it's no walk in the park these days. And not nearly as rewarding as what you may accomplish there for yourself. You're clearly a very self sufficient person: you made a mistake in doing this with so few resources, but you've got a great attitude and I suspect you recover from mistakes well. I'll be you can pull it off, if you really try... I'll be rooting for you.

Wastelandlive comments on Are there any good Spanish language schools in Monterrey, Mexico?

Not cheap. And not optomized for immersion... the TEC is a University, providing semester classes of approximately 3 hours a week. The short answer is no, Seth. Though this town is big and important, it is not a tourist destination, and it is very expensive. Neither loans itself to affordable immersion programs. UDEM has one during the summer months... Why Monterrey? There is a language school in Pueblo of the kind youare seeking...

Wastelandlive comments on 45 years jail DON DIEGO

Geeze... The trolling is always sweet in PBH land. Lot's of people with time on their hands, ready to rise to the bait!

Wastelandlive comments on Failing Horribly...Should I call it quits or is there something I'm missing?

Oh... And what age range do you fall under?

Wastelandlive comments on Failing Horribly...Should I call it quits or is there something I'm missing?

OP, You're sending out your mayday at a very late hour, and I don't know that anybody can offer any magic bullets here. But I've done what you are doing a few times... and I have some questions. Do you speak Spanish? Are you a native speaker? What is your educational background? Professional background? Do you have any - and I mean any - other skills or qualifications? Are you a US citizen? Through November means the end of November? You write that you have family there, and that you wanted to see your Grandfather. Is he still alive, living alone?

Wastelandlive comments on WHERE TO INVEST

What American soldiers? Maybe I'm being naive, but as I read the news... all we've done is formalized some basing agreements. The cap on deployed soldiers and contractors in Colombia remains unaltered, and frankly... I don't see why we'd alter it. Who wants a bunch of US servicemen in Colombia?

Wastelandlive comments on Landowners in Honduras hired Colombian paramilitaries

Furthermore, the meme of, "he was just carrying out a referendum," is hardly informed. He ordered public employees to "vote" in said referendum, a move right out of the Chavez playbook. Generally, when your boss orders you to vote on his own tenure, you know how he expects you to vote. You also know that he has a record of your answer. Yes, he was legally elected. And then he was legally impeached, by his own legislature. He was legally replaced - temporarily - as mandated by the Constitution. He was ordered arrested by his own Supreme Court. If the army illegally sent him into exile vice jailing him as dictated by the letter of the law, it was in an effort to avoid rioting and bloodshed in the streets... something you'd think the world would be more understanding of... how many people should die over politics? If this were 1960, he would have committed suicide by shooting himself twice in the head. Instead he is sent to Costa Rica where he holes up in a 5 star hotel, and starts the international speaking circuit. Food for thought: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574439090743723958.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204518504574423570828980800.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204731804574382872711784150.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703298004574459762462353766.html

Wastelandlive comments on Wastelandlive

Come on. Your smile is all crooked.

Wastelandlive comments on

"So I don't know if Paula and I are equally yoked, hence you may be correct, time will tell. She says she believes in God, and we say to one another ok God is watching both of us. And I truly believe that He is; so, who will be first to break the bond, our vows that we took in front of el Senior? Not I." Ah yes. God as guarantor against your mutual insecurities. Birdie, you don't look old enough to understand this yet... but that is not going to work. Punto. With any woman. The problem isn't Paula... it's your understanding of both God and his final creation. You might want to lighten up on the bible talk and work on your relationship skills. I have no doubt that my candor - bordering on the obnoxious, I fully admit - will offend you, but this is advise you can take to the bank my friend. Make the relationship possible, realistic. And remember that attraction beats guilt every time. El diablo sabe más por ser veijo que por ser diablo.

Wastelandlive comments on

Wow! What happened doll? Wasn't this you you... like two weeks ago? "Ok ratbag. i have the same story to tell, and believe me i am in love, married with a wonderful man from the States." Damn... you do bounce back quickly. Lo admiro. Independiente y emocionalmente estable. Porque no me das una vuelta nena? Ah... se me olvidó, a ti no te gustan los piropos...

Wastelandlive comments on

I'm with Aji1: it's no different in the U.S. Arguably, it's worse... and we shouldn't limit our frame of reference to agriculture. The same principle is bankrupting America today. The bankers - having gambled wildly in pursuit of unrealistic returns - now pass their losses onto the public treasury... and since the banks own the politicians, the latter do a little dance, spout some nonsense about "too big to fail," and the public treasury pays up. Bankers - having lost billions - go home with taxpayer funded bonuses in the millions. They have to, obviously: it's right there in the contract. The President is angry, but what can he do about it? There's no way anybody could have foreseen such a turn of events... This is a problem common to free market democracy, a form of government which is very young in historical terms. We have yet to see how this experiment plays out. But consider the options: Governments arrive at progressive tax schemes with noble intentions. The wealthy should pay more, then the government can see that the money is invested strategically, helping the less fortunate... it's a means of social justice. But inevitably, that "government" is captured by the only members of the tax base powerful enough to influence it... the rich. And they predictably use that power to redirect the treasury to reinforce their positions. It's not always and has not ever been thus. But with the passage of time, this is where it always seems to end. It's not much different from the monopoly capitalism of the early 20th century, where monopoly companies raised the barriers to entry by more direct means. After all, how can the little guy compete? In this example, the rich have all the land, AND capture all the subsidy. The rich are literally funded by the poor man... and he will ever be too busy with his daily struggle to survive to give it much thought, or organize any resistance. We imagine that this is wildly different from the feudalism of another century... I'm not sure I see how. The serf is free to wander off and starve elsewhere, if he likes. That's an improvement, I suppose. Would the guerrilla be better? Given Cuba's example, that seems doubtful. Socialism - as actually practiced - seems to still perpetuate an elite... but there's even less wealth for that elite to capture. Perhaps the distribution of wealth is marginally better - it's really hard to tell when comparing Cuba to some of the developing world's more hellish capitalist economies. The argument seems hardly worth having. It seems to be simply human nature. Aji1 says, "No subsidies of any kind," but seriously, how long would that ever last in a democracy? Half the critics on this board - enfranchised - would soon be lobbying for subsidies for one group or another... and with the noblest of motives. And it is generally a matter of decades if not years before somebody smart comes along and figures out how to capture the subsidy. This is why I'd love to live in Scandinavia, and see for myself if the reputation for clean government and efficiency is deserved. How do they do it? How do they maintain it... and will they? What mechanism can resist the inexorable, daily pressure to warp and corrupt the system?

Wastelandlive comments on

Magnificent. I love Colombia.

Wastelandlive comments on Advantages of knowing English and joining the Col. Military?

Yes, you're correct. But that just led to more confusion... I have no doubt you could become an officer, one day, if that was your ambition... but you can't just go down to Colombia and sign up as one. It doesn't work that way anywhere. So your pay problem is what I described earlier... you make fuck all. I understand Colombian women are unlike women elsewhere in the world... members here tell me they are magnetically attracted to poverty.

Wastelandlive comments on Advantages of knowing English and joining the Col. Military?

Oh... OK. But you were talking about the military, right? I'm a little thrown by your use of language. Referring to an officer as an "official" doesn't seem like an easy error for an American serviceman, even a reservist. Have you checked out www.usajobs.gov?

Wastelandlive comments on Advantages of knowing English and joining the Col. Military?

You thought an... "official?" would be decently paid? And you're fluent, just not that good at writing in Spanish? And this whole time you've been in the reserves? So what do you normally do for a living? _______ I enjoy giving advise to those who come here with honest questions... but I have to admit, I'm not sure I understand your story, or where you are coming from.

Wastelandlive comments on Advantages of knowing English and joining the Col. Military?

It would be an interesting experience. But you'd make nothing... really, nothing. I guess you'd feed yourself and have shelter... but if you decided that it was your cause, and you wanted to immigrate, and go for a commission, so that you could be an officer - and make a little bit more than nothing - you'd have to give up your US Citizenship. I also wonder how Colombia would work from that perspective. Most guys here are grooving on their socio-economic premium. I'm not sure you hold on to that when you ENLIST in the Colombian armed forces, sleep in a bunk bed in a large barracks, and make enough money to treat yourself to a happy meal every weekend. I'm not sure it'd be worth it. Do you have a clearance? Combined with REAL, GENUINE fluency (something most of us lack), that might make you marketable to a contractor working with one of the details being assigned to the bases. That would be far better for you... Why not check out this site? http://www.clearedjobs.net/ You could get yourself to one of their conventions and shop your resume around. Alternately, I think a prior poster's advice is good. Do some internet research and try to figure out who contracts with DOD down there. Contact them directly.

Wastelandlive comments on So many smart people here good to see it.

That's a little overly harsh. I personally have missed GIB's self congratulatory, transparently psychotic rambles. He's right up there with Elmo in terms of colorful personalities that make this site worth visiting. And you - Cowboy - have you gone up the river? Completely native? It's not, "we're NOT competitive?"

Wastelandlive comments on New Law Muscled through by Hotels to kill Furnised Apartment Rentals

Brian, You would have been great in Cromwell's army. Strangely, you would have also been a great Papist. Do you ever dream of the Spanish Inquisitions? Imagine... you could have tortured people who didn't share your perspective! "I have a place I plan to retire into as well. However I rent it on an annual basis and do not use it until I retire. If I choose to start using it i will not rent it. This is a constant argument with my wife. She wants to rent it and I do not." That's great. I hope the two of you work it out and do with your property whatever makes you happy. "If someone doesn't have the money to support a property without renting it short term they need to consider if it is a investment or a future home. This is exactly the problems the poor neighbors or "Medellin madman" had to deal with and it is not fair." Why? Why do I need your moral judgment on this business model at all? It works or it doesn't, and I'm not persuaded it has anything to do with "fair." You're trying to conflate this new legislation with extant requirements to pay taxes and comply with zoning, and I'm sorry, but they are not one and the same. Your Jedi mind trick isn't working on me. Vacation rentals exist and are legal all over the world... they are not mutually exclusive of a hotel industry. Nothing you have written persuades me that such a proposition would be good policy for Colombia. "If you want to operate a business. Zone it or license it. Approve it with the condo association. Not that difficult. People should just stop trying to cut corners." Concur. If the condo association even has an opinion on it, and if the law requires a license. Are you suggesting that the law "should?" Why? Geeze. Different country, same BS. "Free market for thee, but not for me... no, I need the government to give me a monopoly." You should really be ashamed of yourself.

Wastelandlive comments on New Law Muscled through by Hotels to kill Furnised Apartment Rentals

Huh? Was that a coherent thought Brian? What is an "aparta suite?" And what if I can't afford a hotel? What if I have just enough to buy - say - a condo, which I plan to use infrequently and then retire in. What if I wish to rent it out to tourist to help cover the carrying costs... I'll pay my taxes, and perhaps even a management fee. What if the zoning and the neighbors have no issues with that? Why must I "operate within what they are designed," whatever that means? Do you find innovation and variety somehow morally offensive?

Wastelandlive comments on New Law Muscled through by Hotels to kill Furnised Apartment Rentals

Interesting to find individuals defending this legislation so fiercely. Naturally, the loudest voice is.... a hotel investor. And he's got a point. But it only goes so far... Hotels don't simply want people renting out their apartments to have to pay taxes. That's already legislated - people are supposed to pay tax on rental income, right? - it's just never been enforced in Colombia. What hotels want is for people to cease using their property for vacation rentals, period. That's a shame. Hotels and vacation rentals are, at the end of the day, two very different products. Interestingly we are told that hotels are suffering because of short term rental properties... yet new hotels continue to be built. Perhaps - and especially in a world wide recession - somebody needs to raise the question of overcapacity. Could that be the problem? No... that would be common sense: it's all the fault of the evil sex tourists renting from expatriate owners! (That's a notion that would be surprising to the many families from Medallin and Bogotá who rent their apartments to other families from Medallin and Bogotá so that the latter can enjoy an affordable beach vacation in Cartagena.) Were I enfranchised in Colombia I would be arguing in defense of personal property rights. Times are tough all around, and if people want to engage in long term or short term rentals, just as they do in most other nations of the world - including the US - that's their prerogative. Further, I'd point out the usual law of unintended consequences. Yes, some people will be driven to hotels, which will profit more than they would have. Others simply will not come at all, because they can't afford hotel expenses for their entire families. That means they won't be spending in the restaurants, beaches, and cafes. Is there a net win here? For hoteliers, perhaps. Certainly not for the local community or nation. But individuals won't stop this bill, backed by an entire industrial sector... only restaurateurs and other sectors of the tourism industry could do that. Best wake them up: talk to the local chamber of commerce. If not, it will pass. Hello Colombia, your democracy is looking more American everyday! Coming next: owners will be hassled if they even invite guests - friends - to use their crash shack, because the burden of proof will be on THE OWNERS to prove that they are not charging in some way. Now THAT'S intrusive. And of course, there will be ways around the problem - both for the honest owner and the owner breaking the law - that will likely involving paying off the extra bureaucracy created to enforce this law, and maybe even the neighbors... None of this does anything except to enrich the politically connected and enlarge the public sector and the various scam artists who will find a way to make a margin off of this activity. It may seem like a simple transaction between two parties, but when you get the government involved, everybody gets a piece of the pie! If that sounds crazy, just repeat your mantra... it's all about being FAIR to the hotel investor.

Wastelandlive comments on Carter: U.S. Behind Coup Against Hugo Chavez

Same old ball of nothing. "I think there is no doubt that in 2002, the United States had at the very least full knowledge about the coup, and could even have been directly involved," Carter said in an interview with El Tiempo published Sunday. If we did know, that would at least demonstrate a minimum proficiency in the dark arts. But when did adversary governments come to expect to benefit from US intelligence? Rather, when did the public become so moronic that such an accusation actually gets traction? Chavez hoovers are funny. And the US COULD have been directly involved. Wow. What a jackass that man is.

Wastelandlive comments on Serious help learing Spanish

There's lots of good advice here, all of it useful in and of itself. However... you haven't articulated WHERE you hit a wall. If we don't know your level, we don't know what your frustration is, and if we don't know your learning style, it's very difficult to diagnose your problem. I can help. You can PM me, if you like. But I think it would be nicer of you to give me a long and detailed - it can't be too detailed - answer here. Others might find the conversation useful. Pedantically yours...

Wastelandlive comments on H2B Visa

Sorry ardhvc... not that your purpose was really appropriate in the first place, but Colombia is not an H2B participant.

Wastelandlive comments on Any advice regarding Colombian Fiance who is barred entry into US

"I have spent a considerable amout of time in South and Central America and have had numerous novias and know the game. I am just trying to be happy with my life and I thought I found the person I could do that with." Well then, I take it all back. You are clearly a sophisticated, world traveling man who knows what he is doing. You don't actually have to marry her to find out if they'll waive her ineligibility: but you must become engaged, and make serious and credible plans to get married as soon as she joins you in the US. Just file an I-129F with USCIS, and then interview for a K-1 visa at the Embassy. Here are the details explaining all the documentation necessary: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2994.html Approval will depend on their willingness to grant her a waiver. Good luck!

Wastelandlive comments on Any advice regarding Colombian Fiance who is barred entry into US

Wow. No offense, but were you born under a toadstool? "To make a long story short he threatened to kill her if she left him so she fled to the US to escape the multiple cases of serious physical abuse." Bullshit. She didn't flee to another city, to Venezuela, to Ecuador? She fled to the United States, and entered illegally? And that was because of her bad boyfriend, not because she wanted to immigrate to the US? And I note with interest that while working illegally, under a false name, she just happened to get in an accident and have a DUI. Do you think she was really unlucky, and this happened the first time that she drove while under the influence? Or do you think it more likely represents a pattern of behavior? And this all happened after marrying a wife beater at 17. So you know she's selective, too... aren't you lucky you made the cut? I'm going to give you some sage advice, and then I'm going to tell you what the law has to say. People with these kinds of problems are not "dealt a bad hand." They bring these problems upon themselves, and if you let your phallus do your thinking for you, she will bring these problems upon you. So you better grow up fast, my friend. So far as your bet noire... 6 months is not the issue. You tell us that she went at 17 and worked three years illegally, so yes, she was there for approximately 2 years after her 18th birthday, and she is ineligible for a visa for 10 years following her return to Colombia. You met her last year, and you're ready to sign the bottom line and adopt this train wreck for life? What kind of resources do you have to mitigate her horrendous judgement? Do you think that perhaps you're a free ticket back to the good life in the US? Let me guess, not a lot of luck with the ladies, right? She does things to you in bed that you've only seen online? Dude... get a grip on yourself! You can improve your game. Disastrous legal and personal commitments are far more difficult to repair.

Wastelandlive comments on

You know... I have no respect for deadbeat dads whatsoever... I cannot imagine what kind of person abandons his children. But then, relationships are complicated. It's not just about his children... it's about you, too. And you picked him, right? How many good and decent men did you burn along the way before you decided he was the one? I'm guessing you were attracted to the very traits which led him to dumping you and moving on. Please bugger off. This is a poor place to seek either sympathy or information in a personal conflict of this nature.

Wastelandlive comments on US resident with pregnant Colombian girlfriend.

"The cost of her labor when she has the baby." Mononoke, you crack me up...

Wastelandlive comments on US resident with pregnant Colombian girlfriend.

You can petition your wife as an LPR, but as this link will demonstrate - study it carefully - the wait is currently over four years. http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_4575.html You can - if you try - become a citizen before then. Once you are a citizen, you can bring your family in on a K visa. Still, even that is not quick, I know. I'd advise you against prior advise to seek a tourist visa (a non-immigrant visa) in order for her to immigrate. Even if she can qualify, it would likely involve dishonesty at several junctures. Despite popular assumptions that lying is just fine it's not, and particularly when it comes to immigration matters, the government takes it seriously. If cought she could be deported and/or made ineligible for life. I'm sorry, but that's the breaks. If you want to do it right, you're going to have to wait, be patient, and make a lot of trips to Colombia. If she's a keeper she'll deal with it... people have suffered much greater privations for their family.

Wastelandlive comments on I want to go live in Colombia

I think you'd be an ideal entrepreneur. The fact that you have so much family there means that you could enlist some, let them help you out. You'll have to pay them, just as you would anybody, but if you set clear boundaries, you're much more likely to have relationships that you can trust in than your average gringo entrepreneur. They're family, they'll have your back. What's ideal? With unemployment so high, demand will be weak, and labor will be cheap. You don't want to invest a lot of money for multiple reasons... you want to rent, or do something requiring minimal capital. Don't let on that your pockets are any deeper... not even to family. What are your skills? What can you do? Think microcredit... there are many small enterprises that you can afford to set up that a Colombian can't. For example, what if you were to buy one of these mobile empenada stands? Take turns running it with a family member... if it's successful, you could expand, buy more units. Keep the option to sell or gift the whole kit and caboodle to said family member when you've had enough. Rent a fixed restaurant space. English lessons? Perfect. Are you handy? Colombian contractors sometimes lack the tools... you could show up with a powerful compressor, soon you'd be managing a gang doing 2 part paints, or power cleaning. I don't know Pereira, so it's hard for me to generate ideas. But what about your cousins? Maybe one has an idea that needs, say, $5K to get rolling. You invest, set it up with him... enjoy the profits, walk away when you are done. Now you've got a relationship for life. And that might be very important to you one day...

Wastelandlive comments on Extorsionaban a un gringo en Itagüí

Gringo gets extorted. Threats to his family if he doesn't pay up. Gringo denounces. Gaula busts a few dirtbags. Next installment: "Gringo relocates." Or, "Gringo's body found in a landfill." Everybody loves Colombia - including me - until it happens to them. Then it's just not so romantic anymore...

Wastelandlive comments on war on drugs

Hehehehe... UC, what are you playing instigator? The Civil War was about about "bondage to Wall Street?" Seriously... it's been a long time since I've read such unintelligible drivel. "Spot on," Dwmte? I can barely divine a lucid thought in this entire rant. CG... try READING the actual 14th Amendment. Of course it didn't free the slaves. It did confirm their status as citizens enjoying equal rights and equal protection under the law. It did so implicitly, I might add, not explicitly... because in granting that status to all persons born or naturalized in the US, there was no real need to identify any particular ethnicity. The principle was clear... as if it hadn't been clear enough in our Declaration of Independence. In that sense, yes, it applied to ALL states of the Union. Perhaps you meant to say that since the injustice it eliminated was concentrated in the South, it only affected Southern states? Ummm... OK. I suspect that it would be guilding the lily to point out that the aims of the 14th Amendment really weren't achieved until the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's. Racism in the nation, and particularly in the South was just... that... bad. Perhaps it's the clause that no public official who had served in the rebellion could again take office to which you object? Your expectation otherwise seems strange, at best. But again... it only applied only to those individuals, many generations removed from you, who actively served in a rebellion against the federal government which won the war. I'm curious... what inspires your personal sense of grievance? If Jefferson Davis could have, for example, taken the Senate seat to which his state elected him in 1870, would you feel better today? I do like your notion that only those who contribute get to vote... it's very Heinlein, and something I've debated myself. But one suspects in this context it's little more than a vaguely racist attack on black welfare queens... another conversation entirely. After all, slaves very much contributed - and continued to contribute after their emancipation - to the nation. Their descendants continue to contribute today. One awaits with anticipation an articulate explanation of your objection to their voting alongside white citizens. You will no doubt declare that you have no such objection... to which the reader can only ask, "What is it, exactly, to which you object?" Tell you what... let's try a thought exercise. I'll cede that the 14th Amendment was not ratified correctly. It seems a pretty lame prop to suggest that the losing side in the civil war should have immediately had a voice in reshaping the very Union which it had just attempted to rend asunder. I do get your point though. It wasn't passed freely by white land owners running the state as envisioned by the founding fathers. Just tell us... to what, exactly, do you object to in the 14 Amendment itself?: Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State. Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void. Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. Holding my breath...

Wastelandlive comments on war on drugs

Ah... hence the Dixie flag. It seemed like a rational conversation until the Fourteenth Amendment - enforcing the bizarre idea that all persons born in the US - even negroes! - are free citizens deserving equal protection and due process - somehow got conflated with the perfectly reasonable notion that the State has the right to penalize an adult for smoking a weed. (Sarcasm/off) OK... that's not fair. I know that's not really your beef: it's the part about rebels being excluded from public office that gets your goat, right? Repudiation of Confederate debt? And THAT'S where the nation went off the rails? Exhibit one as to why we will never get close to returning the Republic to its core principles: imagine calling a constitutional convention, and having to deal with this kind of chaff. Geeze. Hey CG... the good news? Even though you consider yourself a "rebel," - probably the result of an arrested adolescence - nobody would actually ban you from public office under the 14th Amendment: all of those people are dead. But the voters might find your opposition to that amendment curious... well, the ones who don't belong to the Ku Klux Klan, anyways.

Wastelandlive comments on Open call to reinstate MES

Is this forum closed to new members?

Wastelandlive comments on Scandanavians - Don't you just love em!

Exactly. Desi, you seem to indicate that the FARC is actually its public political agenda, as published on its website. Whereas the duly elected representative government of Colombia has nothing to do with its published agenda, but is rather best represented by amalgum of every abuse that can be associated with it, however loosly, including crimes attributed to the paras and corrupt public officials. One can see a grain of truth in both propositions. But can it be possible that you can maintain both, simultaneously, and feel that your map of reality is actually a good one?

Wastelandlive comments on Sail from Cartagena de Indias to San Blas, Panama

A gorgeous and solid ketch. And nice mixing on the videos... I'm impressed. And not a little bit jealous. I wonder if I'd even know how to skipper my own boat again? I walked through a marina the other day, and realized I was forgetting some of my nautical vocabulary. But... "Softair?" Come on man... what kind of name is that? Makes me think of a seventies car, or perhaps a new drug... she's way too beautiful to be called "Softair.'

Wastelandlive comments on COP: When is it going to end - if ever?

Wow. When will it end? Never. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure that the dollar is f'd... and for good. If you've got any interest in the news at all, if you're following domestic policy with one eye open, it should be pretty clear that the days of the almighty dollar are over... and they're not coming back. You can't debase a currency forever and expect nobody to notice.

Wastelandlive comments on IMPORTING SEMEN INTO COLOMBIA

I wanted to, really, but it's just too easy...

Wastelandlive comments on Single in Colombia

Dude... how long have you been married? You need a game refresher? Find the internet dating site that Colombians use. Put up a profile, and write a few emails. Date. DO NOT make commitments, promises, or let anything grow exclusive. Play the field. Throw parties at your house. Yes, entertain the office crowd: they'll bring friends. Join some clubs. Take some Spanish lessons. Two simple sure fire strategies: 1) create your own "language exchange" club where you'll entertain, and teach English, in exchange for learning some Spanish. 2) take dancing lessons. Guys worry about "meeting women," and then they try too hard. You are in - quite possibly - the best city in the world for meeting quality women. DON'T TRY. They will find you. DO build a rich and exciting social life... meet everybody, befriend everybody, guys, girls, older, younger. Be the life of the party. Get off your ass... travel every weekend, cultivate hobbies, volunteer... just get out, show the world your best side... and for your own sake, give the world a LOT of time to respond before you dive into another monogamous relationship. If you do it right, you'll have some prime candidates competing for you, and you can pick the one that suits you. And trust me, after gringa hell... its going to be just like heaven.

Wastelandlive comments on

Club de Pesca: blue blood, expensive, attitude, boooring. The pier at the yard you are looking at past the ship: industrial, even more boring. Club Nautico: run by a crazy, drug addicted psycho who is barely coherent, but largely mitigated by staff and family who are, for the most part, not chemically dependent. Full of rakes and rogues, whoremongers, whores, smugglers, cruisers, dropouts, and people who don't use their last names. The food is passable, the bar will rip you off if you are foolish enough to run a tab. Really, you've only got one choice, take it from me: Club Nautico.

Wastelandlive comments on Will I be asked to pay for protection?

I'm guessing you're not getting very helpful answers because most of these good folk just don't know... there are only a very few posters who have actually run a fixed business in Colombia. I didn't either, really, but I can relate what I've learned from living in many places in the developing world, and in particular, from my friends - some of them Colombian - that did take the plunge. You probably will be asked to pay protection, if for no other reason than you are a foreigner. Of course, you have no way of really knowing who you are dealing with. The FARC? The PARAs? Some punk-ass FARC wannabee? An unemployed college kid playing a prank? Or the real deal? Therein lies the rub, and if you haven't factored dealing with such ambiguity and risks into your cost/benefit calculation, then you need to rethink WHY its so much cheaper to open a hostel in Colombia than in Miami Beach. I'm not suggesting that a lack of security is the only impediment to economic growth and the appreciation of assets like real estate vis-a-vis similar assets in the first world... but it is definitely one large piece of the puzzle. You're not going to get a lot of help from the police. Owning a business is what makes you worth extorting in the first place: but you can minimize your profile by being tight with your money, tight with your personal information, and avoid unnecessary conflict in your business dealings. Be nice and respectful to everyone, and know how to take a loss and walk away from people who rip you off or cause you other problems. Cultivate genuine friendships in the community whenever and wherever you can. Support local institutions to the best of your ability without giving large gifts of money. And then... get a license and keep a shotgun under the counter.

Wastelandlive comments on Need a VERY connected guy in Cartagena...

2 or 3 weeks? For a film production? This isn't exactly made for TV is it?